The boys’ tennis team started their season off strong with a 6-1 record, their only loss against rival, University Irvine High School.
“We lost 7-11 [to UNI] and went down early in the match,” Jonah Dickson ’20 said. “We didn’t come out with as much energy as UNI, so we went down early.”
This loss proved to be a lesson to the entire team and motivated them even more than they previously were.
“Losing was definitely tough,” Mike Thomas ’20 said. “We came in very confident and got humbled in a way. It was a kind of wake up call.”
Only nine of the 14 players on the Wolverines’ roster are returning players. The team lost seven of its seniors from last year and added two freshmen to the team, Eli Nickoll ’21, and Pat Otero ’21.
“Losing last years seniors was tough because they brought the energy and experience needed to win, so we need to find a way to regain their charisma,” Dickson said.
Despite these losses, there are other star players looking to propel the squad to another CIF title. David Arkow ’20 and Timothy Li ’20 helped the Wolverines win their title last year as freshmen, and are joined this year by fellow sophomore Corey Marley ’20. The seniors are also stepping into the leadership positions.
“There is a new group of leaders on the team, namely Sacha Pritzker [’18] and Stanley Morris [’18],” Thomas said. “We aren’t as loud this year but [Pritzker] and [Morris] do a great job of leading by example, and they are also very open to helping and coaching us too. They do a great job.”
Last year the team held a 25-2 overall record and went 10-0 in Mission League play. They are currently on a 189-0 winning streak in league matches. The last time they lost a league match was in 1999.
The team also beat longtime rival Peninsula HS in last year’s CIF Southern Section finals 10-8. To get there the squad had to beat teams including Santa Barbara High School, Northwood, Los Alamitos, and University Irvine High School. Their loss to UNI this year proves that the road to another CIF title will be filled with fierce competition.
The Wolverines’ record is currently 6-1 (1-0 in league play). They will travel to the All American National Tournament in Newport Beach later this month.
