Sea Kings crowned

Steve Virgen

In an exciting, dramatic and eventful tournament championship match,

the Corona del Mar High boys tennis team found, “The Reitz Stuff,”

and won its All-American invitational, 5-4, over Broughton of

Raleigh, N.C. Saturday at Palisades Tennis Club.

Spencer Reitz, the Sea Kings’ No. 3 singles player, redeemed

himself -- he had four match points -- and defeated Matt Stein, 8-7

(9-7), for the match-winning set that gave Corona del Mar its third

straight championship in the fifth annual tournament.

“That’s the best feeling on earth,” Reitz said of his victory. “My

body started to freeze up when I was up, 7-6, and then a lot of

people started coming over. There was probably double the people than

what was there at the beginning of my match.”

Reitz nearly let a singles set that belonged to him slip away. He

was up, 7-4, and, 40-0, serving for the match. But Stein rallied back

winning that game and won the next two to send it to the tiebreaker.

Reitz went up, 2-0, but Stein came back again, as the two tied at 2,

3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Reitz was serving for the match with a 6-5 lead when he tried to

calm himself by being playful with the crowd. Players from Broughton

stood behind a chain-link fence, five feet away from Reitz, who

turned to them before serving.

“What time does your plane leave?” he asked, referring to the

Capitols’ flight departure that was scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Corona del Mar Coach Tim Mang, who was also the tournament

director, moved the championship match back an hour from its original

time to suit Broughton, which defeated La Jolla Country Day, 5-4, in

the semifinals.

Shortly after serving, Reitz came to the net to try put away a

shot, but committed an error. A Stein shot went into the net to put

Reitz back up, 7-6, but after a somewhat lengthy rally, Reitz’s shot

went wide and it was 7-all.

Reitz scored an ace with a pinpoint serve for his fourth match

point, 8-7. Then he broke Stein’s serve, as Stein’s ground stroke

went just wide.

“I know what Spencer was thinking in the back of his mind: he [and

Carsten Ball] lost the big doubles set,” Mang said. “They had their

whole Broughton team in his ear ... He’s a fighter. Anybody else

probably would have lost when the other kid comes back like that. But

[Reitz] came back in the tiebreaker and he went for it. I’m very

impressed. There can’t be more pressure than that.”

While Reitz recorded the game-winning set, Mang said freshman Ryan

Caughren’s victory in No. 6 singles proved to be the

difference-maker. The Capitols, who have won 4-A (large school) state

titles the past two years, grabbed two of the three doubles sets in

the format that resembles college play. Mang expected Ball, Wesley

Miller and Reitz to win in singles, but he needed at least one more

victory for his team to earn its third straight tournament title.

That’s where Caughren stepped in. He came back from a 5-4 deficit

to defeat Kevin Fussell, 8-5.

“I just knew I had to go out there and win because I don’t like to

go home losing,” Caughren said.

Caughren drew inspiration from Mang, who delivered a challenge to

his players before the singles action began. The Sea Kings No. 1

doubles team of Ball and Reitz had lost just two games in its three

sets throughout the tourney.

“[Mang] told us, ‘This is where you guys show you are champions or

you can just give up and tank,’ ” Miller said.

Ball and Reitz led, 4-1, but Will Plyler and Nelson Bunn came back

to win, 8-5. Miller and Alex Nguyen gained the Sea Kings’ lone

doubles victory, defeating Stein and Brian Edmundson, 8-5.

Miller’s serve was effective during that set and it carried over

to his singles set, where he handled Edmundson and won, 8-2. Ball’s

serve and opportune attacks to the net put Plyler off balance in No.

1 singles. Plyler broke Ball’s serve just once, as the Corona del Mar

junior, like Miller and Reitz, completed an undefeated run in the

tournament with an 8-4 victory.

Ball, Miller and Reitz were named to the all-tournament team,

which also included Newport Harbor’s Robert Khoury, Mater Dei’s Kaes

Van’t Hof, who lives in Newport Beach, and Plyler.

The Sea Kings defeated Calabasas, 6-3, in the semifinal Saturday.

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Corona del Mar All-American invitational Final

Corona del Mar 5, Broughton 4

Singles -- Ball (CdM) def. Plyler, 8-4; Miller (CdM) def. Edmundson, 8-2; Reitz (CdM) def. Stein, 8-7 (9-7); Nguyen (CdM) lost to Stewart, 1-8; Kroopf (CdM) lost to Bunn, 3-8; Caughren (CdM) def. Fussell, 8-5. Doubles -- Ball-Reitz (CdM) lost to

Plyler-Bunn, 5-8; Miller-Nguyen (CdM) def. Edmundson-Stein, 8-5; Roberts-Caughren (CdM) lost to Stewart-Bobbitt, 6-8.

*--*

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Semifinal

Corona del Mar 6, Calabasas 3

Singles -- Ball (CdM) def. Shiraz, 8-1; Miller (CdM) def. Smith, 8-3; Reitz (CdM) def. Cheung, 8-3; Roberts (CdM) lost to Lee, 5-8; Nguyen (CdM) lost to Lee, 2-8; Caughren (CdM) def. Kipnis, 8-2. Doubles -- Ball-Reitz (CdM) def. Shiraz-A. Lee, 8-1;

Miller-Nguyen (CdM) def. Smith-Lee, 8-7 (7-5); Roberts-Caughren (CdM) lost to Rebhun-Kipnis, 3-8.

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