Sage Hill gets taste of own medicine

Rick Devereux

What did the key say to the doorknob? One good turn deserves another.

The expression could be used to describe the quarterfinals of the CIF

Southern Section Division V boys tennis playoffs for Sage Hill

School, a 13-5 defeat at the hands of the visiting Cate Rams.

All year the Lightning have taken early leads after the first

round of team play. Tuesday, Sage Hill (17-9) had the situation

turned when the Rams opened up with a 5-1 lead. In that first round

four sets went to extra games and one was decided by a tiebreaker,

all Cate (13-7) victories.

“What we have done to teams all year is we’ve always gotten ahead

in the first round,” Coach A.G. Longoria said. “This is the first

time we haven’t and it’s hard to make up. They did to us what we’ve

always done to other people.”

The lone win in the first round for Sage Hill came from No. 3

singles player freshman Robert Wee, who defeated Cate’s Griffan

Richards, 6-4.

The second round was better, but Sage Hill’s goal of winning four

of the six sets in that round came up just short. Sage’s Conrad

Whitaker-Tyler Ross conquered the Rams’ No. 2 team of Kyler Farr and

Jesse Glass, 7-6, winning the tiebreaker, 7-4. Also winning was the

No. 1 team of Ian Livingston and Dan Chin. Tristan Cordier, the No. 1

singles player for Sage Hill, won his set as well. But the 8-4

deficit after two rounds meant Cate needed to only win two sets in

the third round to advance to the semifinals.

Ara Demirjian, the No. 2 singles player, was the lone Lightning

victor in the third round.

“Probably the most important part of the match was winning

three-plus sets in the first round,” Cate Coach and Estancia alum Bob

Bonning said. “That is the sort of thing that can take the wind out

of a team’s sails, and I think it did a little bit. It can be

discouraging.”

What is not discouraging is the future for the young Sage Hill

team.

“I feel that we played a great season, especially since we have

five sophomores on the team,” Livingston, the lone senior, said.

“They’re just going to flourish after this, unfortunately I won’t be

here, but I hope they continue on and keep winning.”