San Marcos battled the heat and a strong Viewpoint team and came up short, 11-7, in a CIF Division 1 first-round boys tennis playoff match in Calabasas on Wednesday.
The Royals took a 4-2 lead in the first round, as the three doubles teams won their sets and No. 1 singles player Kento Perera beat Viewpoint’s No. 1 Darius MacKenzie, 6-4.
“All of our doubles teams came out with a vengeance and dominated play in the first round. It was definitely the best start for us all year,” San Marcos coach Jarrod Bradley said.
Viewpoint swept the singles in the second and third rounds to take control of the match. Perera lost two close sets against Julian Gordy, 6-4, and Jonathan Starr 7-6 (3).
San Marcos’ No. 1 doubles Owen Lincoln and Travis Smelley ended their high school careers with a 6-1, 7-6 (2), 6-1 sweep.
“I’m really proud of Owen and Travis because they’ve sacrificed a lot as seniors to play doubles together when they could easily be playing singles. They set a great example to our younger players for how to compete and improved significantly throughout the season. We’re all going to miss them next year,” said Bradley.
The Royals (7-10) will return seven players and look to improve next year.
“In 14 years of coaching tennis, this team has improved more than any other team,” Bradley said. “I’m proud of these guys and look forward to seeing them improve in the off-season.”
San Marcos 7
Kento Perera 1-2
Cody Krueger 0-3
Christo Anderson 0-3
Owen Lincoln-Travis Smelley 3-0
Dan Coulson-Matthew Lockwood 2-1
Nicholas Leeds-Oliver Piltch 1-2
Viewpoint 11
Darius MacKenzie 2-1
Julian Gordy 3-0
Jonathan Starr 3-0
