After winning the title of Western League co-champion (along with their rival, La Jolla High School), the Boys’ Varsity Tennis team took a week of intensive training to prepare for CIF team playoffs. Taking their season record and their Western League title into account, Coronado High School seeded No. 1 in the Division I draw, with La Jolla High at No. 2. Their seeding allowed them to host every match at their home courts leading up to the finals.
Their first opponent of this single-elimination tournament was Mission Hills High School, for what proved to be an easy win. The singles lineup, Diego Yañez, Anibal Ramirez, and Jorge Yañez, won all nine of their sets handily. Mission Hills’ doubles teams took only two sets off of Coronado, for a final score of 16-2.
The following day, the varsity team hosted Scripps Ranch High School, a much closer match. As Ramirez moved down to Line 3 Doubles, Eric Kats subbed in and gave Coronado three wins. Having stacked their doubles teams with two of their singles players, our doubles were only able to salvage two wins—one from Line 2 (Yannick Peterhans/Jake Lamb) and the other from Line 1 (Ryan Wood/Isaac del Rincon). Once again, Coronado’s singles completely swept with nine out of nine sets, going 11-7 against Scripps Ranch.
Now in the semi-finals of Div. I Playoffs, Coronado faced San Marcos High School from North County, who had defeated Point Loma in the quarter-finals. Much like Tuesday, this proved to be another easy match for Coronado to make their way into the finals. The lineup had not changed, and the singles only dropped two sets. Line 1 (Wood/del Rincon) and Line 2 (Peterhans/Lamb) Doubles won every match, and Line 3 Doubles (Ramirez/Andres de la Lama) won their two first sets, 6-4 and 6-3. Subbing in for Ramirez was Carlos Solloa, who lost the last in a tight set of 3-6. The final score ended at 15-3.
Due to rain cancellations, the final was postponed until Monday of the following week. To no surprise, La Jolla High School had made it through to the finals to play against Coronado for the third time this season. Both teams had defeated each other at their home courts, and this neutral match would decide the CIF Div. I champion between this rivalry.
Introductions began at 2:00 PM to present the lineup for the match. Coronado’s singles players were Diego Yañez, Kats, and del Rincon, and the doubles teams were Jorge Yañez/Ramirez, Wood/Santiago Gonzalez, and Peterhans/Lamb. The first round of matches put La Jolla at a slight advantage. Yañez his set 6-3, while del Rincon lost his 3-6. Kats played against their top player, Alex Strumlauf, in the first round and lost 2-6. The doubles teams were not as lucky. Yañez/Ramirez lost their set 3-6, as did Wood/Gonzalez. Line 3 Doubles, Peterhans/Lamb, went to a 7-point tiebreaker and fell 2-7 to lose the set 6-7.
The second round of matches went fairly similar. All three doubles teams fell, and Yañez lost his set against Strumlauf 3-6. Kats and del Rincon won their sets, giving Coronado 3 sets to 9. The final round of matches was left, and Coronado needed to win all six to have a chance at becoming the CIF Division I Champion of 2018. Unfortunately, only Yañez and Ramirez were able to defeat La Jolla’s Line 3 Doubles team. Yañez and Kats got two more games for Coronado, falling to La Jolla 6-12.
Even though Coronado’s Varsity team did not take home the first-place trophy like last year, they will have the opportunity to compete in the CIF Individual Tournament in the San Diego Section. Good luck to all of Coronado’s players!
Upcoming Tournament:
CIF Individual Tournament – May 14-18 at Barnes Tennis Center
