Winning tennis championships at La Jolla High over the years on the girls and boys side has become almost as common as the beautiful weather locally.
The top-seeded Vikings served up another crown last Friday, capturing the CIF Division III boys title with a 12-6 victory over Cathedral Catholic at the Barnes Center in Point Loma. The title was La Jolla’s ninth in the last decade and state-record 42nd team crown.
“Going into the finals, I was confident most players on the team were going to handle the pressure,” La Jolla High head coach Thomas Andrews said. “The Viking players are used to pressure situations with lots of match play experience. The team came together as a whole in the finals, and every player had a huge impact on the outcome. They played smart and won with a lot of heart.”
Kyle van Buskirk and Jonathan Lo, two of La Jolla’s top players, who had minor injuries from a tough match a day before, voluntarily put themselves in the doubles for the good of the team.
“It was an act of selflessness, and they won two of three sets at number two doubles,” Andrews noted.
Daniel Lapidus and Niko Karnopp also won two of three of their sets at number one doubles.
“During the first round, the match was close, and the pressure was mounting,” Andrews said. “Max Einhorn and Jerry Lin at number three doubles were in a see-saw set, up 3-1 and then down, serving at 5-6. The match was essentially tied at that point, and all of Cathedral’s players, coaches, parents and friends were ‘lining’ the court. It became a huge set to win and a high-pressure situation. Max and Jerry kept their composure, held serve and came back to win in a tiebreaker (7-5). It became the breaking point of the match.”
In the singles, La Jolla’s Sean Rodriguez swept all of his sets 7-6, 6-2, 6-1. Michael Rabinovich won two of three and picked up 12 unanswered games, winning 3-6, 6-0, 6-0. Blake Cummins, playing number three singles, picked up a set, winning 6-1.
“It was a great season, and I feel very happy about the team’s CIF win,” Andrews added. “But I am also very proud of my association with the mature demeanor of all the players and their parents.”
La Jolla now heads into the Western League Individual Tournament, where most matches were to be played at Coronado High School and Glorietta Bay.
Van Buskirk is the number one seed in the singles and Lapidus and Karnopp are the number one seeds in the doubles.
In the Division II semifinals last Thursday, University City High dropped an 11-7 decision to eventual champion Point Loma.