La Jolla High School has racked up 42 CIF championships in boys tennis since 1955. As one can imagine, expectations are great for this juggernaut program that has won more titles in the sport than any other high school in California. The Vikings have had amazing success in the past including reeling off 13 consecutive titles from 1970 to 1983 and most recently earning eight straight CIF trophies from 1999 to 2006. After losing in the semifinals of the playoffs last season and claiming only one championship in the past three years, the Vikings are hungry to get back to their winning ways. Leading the charge this season is rookie head coach Matt Previdi. He comes all the way from Connecticut to take on this opportunity. “The expectations are very high,” Previdi said. “The support of the local community has been a little overwhelming to be honest. It’s been exciting to see people in La Jolla treat tennis as a priority.” There has been talk of this year’s team going undefeated but Previdi isn’t only concerned with his team’s play on the court. He is stressing to his players to work as hard as possible but also to remember to have fun. “My goal is not to win a CIF championship or anything like that, it’s really to see all these guys reach their potential” Previdi said. “I think once we do that, winning at CIF is very realistic. If this team reaches its potential there really isn’t any goal we can’t accomplish this season because the amount of talent we have is pretty much unparalleled to any other team I’ve seen in my coaching days.” At such a prestigious school, just making the team can prove to be a challenge. As many as 30 boys were turned away this year because there simply was not enough room on the roster. Junior Blake Cummins has been on the squad since his freshman year. When he was a young boy starting to play competitive tennis, he soon turned his thoughts to making the La Jolla High tennis team. “When I was growing up, everyone knew how good of a legacy we had here,” Cummins said. “By about sixth grade I knew I wanted to play for the La Jolla High tennis team.” Winning titles has become expected in the community, but this year’s team is trying to put the hectic events of the end of the season out of its mind and focus on every match and every practice. Once the playoffs finally roll around in May, you can bet the Vikings will be looking to do some serious damage and ultimately win another championship.
