ECR TITLE STREAK ENDS PALISADES RETURNS TO FAMILIAR SPOT ON TOP.Byline: Sean Martin Sean Martin may refer to:
El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
A
The victory earned Palisades its 25th section championship in boys' tennis, 19 more than any other school. ECR ECR Efficient Consumer Response ECR European Congress of Radiology ECR Electron Cyclotron Resonance ECR El Camino Real (Kings Highway; California) ECR Electronic Cash Register ECR East Coast Radio (South Africa) would have become the first tennis team to win six consecutive City titles if it had won Friday. Palisades is the only other school to win five in a row, doing it from 1969 to 1973 and 1995 to 1999. ``There must be a reason (no one can win six in a row),'' ECR head coach Marvin Jones Marvin Jones may refer to:
Friday was the first time during his tenure at ECR that Jones' season ended without a championship. He began coaching ECR in 2000, the first year it won the title. It was the first career loss for his current players. ECR had won 80 consecutive matches. Its last loss came April 13, 2000. Many said this year represented the best chance in five seasons to unseat ECR after the Conquistadors lost six players from last year's team. ECR knew its run had to eventually end. ``Our coach conditioned us for this,'' ECR doubles player Adam Calig said. ``He just told us to give it our all. We're going to be mature about it and give (Palisades) the credit they deserve.'' Palisades was a preseason favorite to win this year's title. A lot changed during the season, though. Palisades' No. 1 player, Chris Ko, did not play because of injuries. Its No. 2 player was dismissed from the team for violating team rules. Two other starters left the team. ``With the disappointing loss of personnel, (winning the title) was extremely gratifying grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. ,'' Palisades head coach Bud Kling said. The missing players forced Palisades to rely on its doubles teams in the postseason. Its doubles pairings won eight of nine sets against Taft in Wednesday's semifinal and won seven sets Friday. Most of ECR's points came in singles. Its top two players, Troy Aiken and Chad Gerber, earned eight of ECR's 13 points by sweeping four sets apiece a·piece adv. To or for each one; each: There is enough bread for everyone to have two slices apiece. [Middle English a pece : a, a; see a . The teams' strengths in different aspects of the match made Kling consider shifting his lineup A criminal investigation technique in which the police arrange a number of individuals in a row before a witness to a crime and ask the witness to identify which, if any, of the individuals committed the crime. to stack players in doubles. But he decided to leave the lineup untouched after speaking with his team in the bus before the match. The move, or lack thereof, paid off as Palisades' Adam Deloge and Stephen Surjue picked up two sets apiece. Those wins made up for an early loss by Palisades' top doubles team. El Camino Real was in good shape to win a sixth consecutive title after its No. 1 doubles team of Alex Tobon and Jonathan Jacobs defeated Palisades' Darya Bakhtiar and Seth Mandelkern early in the match. Palisades knew it needed to claim at least seven doubles sets to win the match. Its other two doubles teams pitched in by defeating Tobon and Jacobs, one of the top seeds for the upcoming City Section doubles tournament. The title was Palisades' first since 1999. ``We're kind of used to winning,'' Kling said. ``Six years was a long time (without a title).'' Sean Martin, (818) 713-3608 sean.martin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: El Camino Real High's top player, Troy Aiken, attempts a return against Palisades High in a singles match Friday. ECR's streak of five conscutive City Section titles came to an end. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion