They put a perfect record into the books last season, and seem confident they can do it again.<\/p>\n
That part about the Kentridge High boys tennis team remains to be seen. But this part seems clear: The road to the South Puget Sound League North Division title definitely runs through KR\u2019s courts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re close, but they\u2019re better than us. We\u2019re young,\u201d said Jefferson coach Andrew Buchan, whose team is mentioned most frequently as the one which can give the Chargers a run for it. \u201cUntil someone can play them close at 3-2, no one is in the same breath at Kentridge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added Kentwood coach Ingrid Bakke, \u201cOn tennis skill alone, it\u2019s Kentridge. But Andrew (Buchan) does an amazing job of getting his kids fired up. When kids are playing with heart and no fear, it\u2019s going to be a battle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coming off a 12-0 campaign in the fall, then qualifying five players for the Class 4A state tournament in the spring, the Chargers still have enough tools in their box to make a run at back-to-back division crowns. Jefferson no doubt will have something to say about it. Ditto for Kentwood. And TJ gets a shot at Kentridge on Wednesday, following Monday\u2019s season openers.<\/p>\n
\u201cJefferson is the competition,\u201d said Kentridge\u2019s Vineeth Omkaram, a junior who teamed with classmate Paul Yi to earn a state berth in doubles last May. \u201cWe\u2019re just going step by step.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Chargers will be taking those steps without now-graduated Zack AhYat and Luyang Gai, two-time state finalists in doubles and sixth-place finishers last season.<\/p>\n
But not only are Omkaram and Yi back in the fold, so is junior Matt Overland, part of a bevy of juniors that not only dominate KR\u2019s roster, but are predominant through the entire North. In a division that includes two-time defending state singles champion Max Manthou of Kentwood \u2013 another junior \u2013 Overland has emerged as a standout in his own right.<\/p>\n
Want proof?<\/p>\n
His third-place state singles medal last spring is plenty.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been practicing my serve for an hour every day,\u201d Overland said. \u201cMy serve has really improved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Omkaram and Yi found a very competitive groove last season. They finished fourth in the league tournament to qualify for district, then won four out of five in West Central play \u2013 including a pair of loser-out matches \u2013 to snag a spot at state.<\/p>\n
It was all more than Yi thought possible when he and Omkaram paired up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t know what to expect,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The prospect of beating Manthou is as difficult as ever, although Kentridge\u2019s AhYat and Howard Lin managed to do it in a doubles match last season. But virtually every player in the division will say without hesitation, \u201cMax is Max.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manthou played in several national-caliber tournaments this summer, one of which was the USTA National Championship at Kalamazoo, Mich., in early August. He won four of his six matches there before bowing out in a three-setter. Last weekend, he swept through five matches to win a tournament in Tacoma.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has been looking real good,\u201d Bakke said. \u201cHe went to Kalamazoo and did much better there than in past years.\u201d<\/p>\n
The North takes on a new \u201cold look\u201d this fall with the return of Auburn and Auburn Riverside to the 4A ranks.<\/p>\n
The last time the perennially powerful Ravens swung their rackets on North Division courts in 2005, they racked up a 13-0 record to claim the crown. During their two years in SPSL 3A, they won the league title in 2006, and were second behind Sumner in 2007.<\/p>\n
The Ravens graduated eight players, five of them with district experience. Many of those taking their spots might be new to varsity, but coach Bruce Diehl says they\u2019ve all played plenty of tennis.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the kids did summer work, and we\u2019re just a good, solid team,\u201d Diehl said. \u201cWe\u2019re just running the crap out of them. We may not be the best team in the league, but we\u2019ll be the fittest team in the league. I want to be a spoiler.\u201d<\/p>\n
With that in mind, Kentridge coach Bob Armstrong likes his team\u2019s chances, but also recognizes that it\u2019s far from just a one-team race.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re solid \u2013 I don\u2019t think as much as (we were) last year, but we\u2019re still solid,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have some young players, and we just have to see how the younger players perform.\u201d<\/p>\n
SPSL NORTH TENNIS<\/p>\n
Favorite \u2013 Kentridge.<\/p>\n
Contenders \u2013 Jefferson, Kentwood.<\/p>\n
Sleepers \u2013 Auburn, Auburn Riverside.<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s standings \u2013 Kentridge 12-0, Jefferson 10-3, Kentwood 10-4, Federal Way 7-4, Tahoma 5-9, Kentlake 4-9, Decatur 3-10, Kent-Meridian 0-12. (NOTE: Because of rainouts that were not made up, not every team completed its 14-match schedule.)<\/p>\n
Outlook \u2013 Kentridge is a consensus favorite \u2013 but not an overwhelming one. The Chargers return three of the five players who went to state last spring: Matt Overland in singles (third place), and the doubles team of Paul Yi and Vineeth Omkaram (did not place). Overland is regarded as the second-best player in the division behind two-time defending state champion Max Manthou of Kentwood, and is one of those who can actually slug it out with him groundstroke for groundstroke, though Manthou ultimately shows why he\u2019s a cut above the rest. Add to that players such as Garrett Ballou and Donald Hall, (both juniors), senior Christian Ohno and sophomore Howard Lin, all varsity veterans, and it\u2019s understandable why KR has the favorite\u2019s role. But Jefferson also returns most of its roster, including district qualifiers Joe Lee and Branden Muraki, both juniors, and sophomore Makoa Rosa, who was the only freshman boy from the SPSL to make the district draw. He will be joined this year by his freshman brother, Kainoa. Kentwood is always in the mix, and the Conquerors typically can count on a point from Manthou before they even take the court. Auburn Riverside, which won the SPSL North title in 2005 before leaving for a two-year stint in Class 3A, graduated most of the familiar names that teamed up for an SPSL 3A title in 2006 and a runner-up finish in 2007. But the Ravens have a strong JV program, and many of the top players there are ready to slide into varsity positions and keep AR competitive.<\/p>\n
Notable \u2013 Overland and Manthou met four times last year. Manthou won 6-3, 6-1 during the regular season, 6-0, 6-1 in the SPSL tournament, 6-0, 6-0 in the district quarterfinals, and 6-3, 6-1 in the state semifinals. … Auburn\u2019s Travis Hanley and Josh Jeter qualified for the Class 3A state tournament in doubles last spring. Hanley and Jeter prevailed in a winner-to-state, loser-out match for the seventh and final qualifying spot out of West Central District. They came up short in both of their state matches.<\/p>\n
FIVE TO WATCH<\/p>\n
Grade\/name School<\/p>\n
Jr. Max Manthou Kentwood<\/p>\n
Notable: He\u2019s the two-time defending state singles champion. Any questions?<\/p>\n
Jr. Matt Overland Kentridge<\/p>\n
Notable: Hard, accurate hitter who has emerged as the North\u2019s best player \u2013 after Max.<\/p>\n
Jr. Joe Lee Jefferson<\/p>\n
Notable: Went 4-1 in singles, and teamed with Brendan Muraki to earn a district bid in doubles.<\/p>\n
Jr. Garrett Ballou Kentridge<\/p>\n
Notable: Played primarily in the No. 2 singles spot, but went 7-0, then took fourth in the league tournament to make district.<\/p>\n
Sr. Jake Stewart Federal Way<\/p>\n
Notable: Solid and steady, 7-3 during the regular season at the No. 1 spot, qualified for district.<\/p>\n
Can\u2019t-miss matches \u2013 Sept. 10: Kentridge at Jefferson. OK, so who\u2019s really the favorite? This one could go a long way toward providing the answer. (Rematch Oct. 1 at Kentridge.) Sept. 12: Jefferson at Auburn Riverside. Are the Ravens a spoiler \u2013 or a bona fide contender? (Rematch Oct. 3 at Jefferson.) Sept. 19: Auburn at Auburn Riverside. Both of these teams are potential sleepers in the division title chase. (Rematch Oct. 10 at Auburn.) Sept. 22: Kentridge at Kentwood. Fierce, but respectful rivalry. Always an impact match, too. (Rematch Oct. 13 at Kentridge.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
They put a perfect record into the books last season, and seem confident they can do it again.
\nThat part about the Kentridge High boys tennis team remains to be seen. But this part seems clear: The road to the South Puget Sound League North Division title definitely runs through KR\u2019s courts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":18892,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-18891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18891"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18891"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18891\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18891"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=18891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}