The Coronado High School boys tennis team won its opening playoff match for the CIF Team Tennis Championships on April 18, but lost in the quarterfinals to end the season.
However, several individual players, including seniors Ethan Harrington and Jesse Piepenkotter are set to play in the league championships.
In the team win, the Islanders were the No. 7 seed in San Diego’s Division 2, and faced off against Olympian High School of Chula Vista.
The Islanders made quick work of No. 10 seed Olympian with a 12-6 victory, moving on to the quarterfinals where they faced No. 2 seed Santa Fe Christian.
Coronado head coach Jeff Harrington said his team put up a solid fight despite being the underdogs. He added it was an exciting match, but ultimately Santa Fe Christian squeaked out the victory.
“I was very pleased with the way the team competed in the championships,” said Harrington.
The Islanders’ head coach also marveled at the way his boys handled themselves in the most important matches of the year.
“I felt like the guys played up to their potential. A couple of the guys seemed to blossom into better players as the matches were progressing. “
-Coronado boys tennis coach Jeff Harrington
“I felt like the guys played up to their potential. A couple of the guys seemed to blossom into better players as the matches were progressing. That was something to behold,” said Harrington.
Senior core leads team
Although the team fell short of its final goal—playing in the CIF Championship—there was a level headedness to this squad that Harrington was grateful for as the coach.
According to Harrington, all the credit goes to his senior core who has been the backbone of this team.
“As team leaders, the seniors really set the tone for practices and matches. And, whenever I looked around, I saw smiles and good effort all around,” said Harrington.
For some of those seniors, the season isn’t finished just yet.
Individual league championships
Harrington and Piepenkotter are set to play in League Championships in late April, as well as younger teammates Savo Simic and Nicolas Hacker.
Simic is seeded No. 5 in League Championships, and all four boys can potentially play in the CIF Championships in May if they do well.
“We’ve had our team competition, and now it’s time for our best players to concentrate on their own performances,” said Harrington.
According to the coach, at the end of the day tennis is more of an individual sport, and he’s looking forward to seeing some of his top players compete for themselves.
Promising future
Piepenkotter, Harrington, and the other seniors are leaving the team in good hands, according to Harrington.
His senior core will be missed, but the young group of Islanders returning next season makes for a promising future for Coronado tennis, he said.
“The future is bright.”
-Coach Harrington
“It is encouraging to know that most of our best players are sophomores and freshmen. The experience they got this year will pay dividends for years to come. The future is bright,” said Harrington.
