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On Baseline or at Line of Scrimmage, He Can Play

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Mention Vik Tiku to St. Bonaventure football Coach Jon Mack and he chuckles.

“Ah yes, the tennis-playing left tackle,” Mack said.

Tiku, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound junior, is a football-playing serve-and-volley specialist.

“I was a tennis player first,” said the 16-year-old Tiku, who began playing tennis with his father at the age of 5 and was an age-group tournament player for several years.

“I didn’t really think I was going to be that good at football. I thought it was going to be like something just extracurricular that I did. But I really enjoyed football and the whole atmosphere. I wanted to play football more seriously this year. I wanted to make more of a commitment to it and see what would happen.”

Given his improvement in football and his enjoyment of the game, Tiku’s second endeavor could become his sport of choice.

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“That’s the big story of Vik Tiku,” Mack says. “He’s one of the most improved players I’ve ever had. This year, he’s really come into his own. He put a lot of time in over the summer, and now it’s paying off.”

Tiku played junior varsity football his freshman year before being promoted to varsity to play left guard last season.

He has played No. 2 or 3 singles or No. 2 doubles for the tennis team the last two years.

“The lifting and running that you do in football really helps in tennis, and tennis really keeps me in shape in the off-season,” Tiku says. “It’s a good combination, I think. It works out perfectly.”

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Tiku, senior Adrian Ayala, sophomore James Bonelli, junior Matt Bouvet and senior Jack Emerick have paved the way for running back Lorenzo Booker’s 1,034 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. The defending Tri-Valley League champions are 7-0.

Tiku helped the boys’ tennis team to an 11-3 record last season, a 14-1 overall mark in 1997, and to consecutive Tri-Valley League titles with 9-0 records.

Boys’ tennis Coach Tim Ambler isn’t surprised at Tiku’s success on the field.

“He’s very athletic, with very quick feet, and I’m sure that helps him in football as well as tennis,” Ambler said. “He’s very quick and agile for someone his size, and the football helps with the competitiveness and the instincts in tennis, and vice-versa.”

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