Palihi Tennis Wins Third Straight City Title

From the moment the first ball was struck, there was never a doubt that Palisades High would win its third consecutive City Section boys tennis championship. The only uncertainty was the final score.

Having routed Eagle Rock by a record margin last spring, the Dolphins began Thursday afternoon's rematch looking as if they might post the first round-robin shutout ever in the final round, racing to an 18 1/2 to zero lead before settling for a 26 to 3 1/2 victory at Balboa Sports Center in Encino. 

If not for a painful foot injury that forced to drop his last two singles sets the Dolphins likely would have matched last year's 28 to 1 1/2 score. In their three playoff matches this season, Palisades surrendered a total of six points. 

"You can win by one point, half a point or 20 points... it's still a City championship," said head coach , who has led the boys to 19 of their 29 section titles. "There may not be as much drama in a score like this, but our job is to go out there and play the best we can."

Top-seeded Palisades (19-4) won 14 of 16 singles sets and eight of the nine doubles sets. and partner clinched the victory less than 90 minutes into the match, rallying from a 3-1 deficit to win five straight games in their second set against Eagle Rock's No. 2 doubles team of Trevor Nelson and Nathan Marcelo.

 "This is the second year in a row that I've gotten the clinching point, so I'm pretty psyched," said Pekar, a junior who paired with Kyung Choi to notch the 15th point last spring. "It's amazing to three-peat. I'd say the first one is my most special, but they're all great."

The victory was perhaps most satisfying for senior , who had lost a tiebreaker in the deciding set in Palisades' 15 to 14 1/2 loss to Taft in 2008 when he was but a freshman.

"Redemption? I guess you could say that," said Thornton, who didn't play his sophomore or junior seasons. "I still think about it, but can say I did good today and it feels okay."

Sophomore lost two games in his four sets at No. 4 singles and believes this is a closer-knit team than last year. 

"We had better individual talent [a year ago] but we're more united this year," he said. "We get along better off the court. That's why this was a lopsided victory."

Licona won his first two sets but hobbled through a 6-1 loss to Eagle Rock's top player William Thi, then defaulted his fourth set against Benjamin Fabregas.

"The bottom of my right foot started hurting in the quarterfinals [Tuesday] and I felt it from the beginning today," Licona said. "I tried playing through it but it got worse and worse."

The Dolphins have reached seven straight section finals (winning five) and with all but three starters returning, a "four-peat" seems almost inevitable, given the gap between them and the competition. The City record for consecutive championships is five, a feat achieved three times--by Palisades from 1969-73 and from 1995-99 and by El Camino Real from 2000-04. 

Meanwhile, the second-seeded Eagles (14-2) have reached at least the semifinals of the City tournament six years in a row and have gone unbeaten in the Northern League over the last 10 seasons.

"I congratulate Palisades--they are a super team," said Eric Jacobson, an Eagle Rock graduate and the team's coach for 16 years. "I'm really proud of my players. None of them are ranked [in the juniors]. None have ever had private lessons. In fact, four of our guys have only been playing tennis for a year and a half."  

CITY SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP

Palisades 26, Eagle Rock 3 1/2

SINGLES

Robbie Bellamy, Palisades, d. William Thi, 6-0; d. Kevin Parducho, 6-0; d. Joe Roferos, 6-2; d. Benjamin Fabregas, 6-0. Oliver Thornton, Palisades, d. Thi, 6-0; d. Parducho, 6-0; d. Roferos, 6-0; d. Fabregas, 6-0. Max Licona, Palisades, lost to Thi, 6-1; d. Parducho, 6-2; d. Roferos, 6-3; lost to Fabregas, injury default. Joe Silvers, Palisades, d. Thi, 6-1; d. Parducho, 6-0; d. Roferos, 6-0; d. Fabregas, 6-1.

DOUBLES

Spencer Pekar-Sam Catanzaro, Palisades, d. Aaron Alcaraz-Kenneth Li, 6-4; d. Trevor Nelson-Nathan Marcelo, 6-3; d. Mark Dayo-Christian Flores, 6-1. Robert Silvers-Trinity Thornton, Palisades, d. Alcaraz-Li, 6-3; d. Nelson-Marcelo, 6-0; d. Dayo-Flores, 6-1. Myles Rogers-Halliday-Cody Schiffer, Palisades, lost to Alcaraz-Li, 6-2; d. Nelson-Marcelo, 6-2; d. Dayo-Flores, 6-1. 

Records: Eagle Rock 14-2; Palisades 19-4.