Boys’ Tennis: Sage alone in first
IRVINE — With 17 players on the roster of the Sage Hill School boys’ tennis team, Coach A.G. Longoria certainly has options for setting his doubles lineup.
Longoria used his young guns in the first two rounds of Monday’s crucial Academy League match at Crean Lutheran.
In the third round he called on three seniors, Gordon Strelow, Amir Soleimany and Shayan Emtiaz, substituting one into each doubles team.
The moves paid off. Emtiaz and freshman Will Sanderson defeated Crean’s Andrew Benson and Shoun Matsuka, 6-2, for the ninth set win. And Strelow and freshman Ash Etadali finished off the match with a 6-3 win over Alex Wang and Jason Huang, as Sage Hill won the first-place showdown, 10-8.
Crean Lutheran (9-4, 3-1 in league) is the defending league champion, but now Sage Hill (10-3, 6-0) is in the driver’s seat.
“Even though their tennis strokes aren’t as good as the young guys, they’ve been with me for four years,” Longoria said of the trio, who helped the Sage soccer team advance to the CIF Southern Section Division 6 semifinals this winter. “I knew what they could do … I really like to take care of the people that have played for me for four years. We might use them again if we have to.”
Sophomores Adam Langevin and Omead Moini each won two singles sets for the Lightning, ranked No. 5 in CIF Southern Section Division 2. Kenan Torlic won once at No. 1 singles.
Crean Lutheran, ranked No. 9 in Division 2, got a singles sweep from junior Allen Thornes and a doubles sweep from juniors Bret and Evan Kittelsen. But it wasn’t enough to top Sage, which can most likely clinch the outright league title by beating Crean again on May 1 at The Tennis Club.
“The critical match was this one,” Langevin said. “We beat them away, and if we beat them away, we can beat them at home. This victory here, this could be the one that seals it for us in league. Everything that we’ve been working for came down to this away [match].”
There were plenty of momentum swings. Sage sophomore Han Chin and freshman Ian Huang topped Benson and Matsuka, 7-5, in the first round to help the Lightning earn a 4-2 sets advantage.
Longoria’s tennis teams at Sage Hill have only ever lost three 4-2 leads, and never on the boys’ side. But the hosts kept the Lightning nervous. Crean Lutheran junior Luke Barnard edged Torlic, 7-6 (7-4) in the second round, as the score was tied at 6-6.
But Sage had enough of a games lead after the third round of singles to feel comfortable. Moini’s 6-0 win over Barnard was a big reason why. Sage led 8-7 headed into the final three doubles sets, with the big advantage in games.
Crean Lutheran Coach Jake Barnard could not believe his younger brother’s performance in the set.
“Luke played two matches that were terrible,” Jake Barnard said. “The No. 3 guy [Moini] he would normally beat, I know he would. He just had nothing left in the tank [after beating Torlic] … I know how he plays, and that wasn’t him.”
Jake Barnard said he remains confident that Crean can come through next time at Sage Hill’s home courts.
“I think we can take it to them,” he said. “I think we can beat them.”
Chin and Huang won twice Monday for Sage, which plays host to Fairmont Prep on Tuesday. Torlic, Moini and Langevin will then prepare for the prestigious Ojai Tennis Tournament, which begins Thursday for the CIF high school divisions. Langevin is playing in singles, with Moini and Torlic as a doubles team.
Longoria, who is in his sixth week of radiation and chemotherapy after discovering a cancerous growth on his neck, said he will not be making the trip to Ojai to coach. Sage assistant Mark Watkins will coach in Ojai.
