Boys’ Tennis swings into the new season
Ava Memarzadeh, Staff Writer
The varsity boys’ tennis season has had a successful start. Boys’ tennis has not had an official season since spring of 2019, as the 2020 spring season was canceled and the 2021 spring season was abbreviated. Therefore, this spring season is the first real season in three years, and has Tennis Coach Shaun Simone excited for the season ahead.
“As head coach I’m very excited to have a young team. These players are very talented and have a great mindset,” Simone said.
Varsity Captains Cole Thompson (’22) and Lincoln Jarvis (’23) are also thrilled for the season ahead.
“Even in preseason it already feels great to have a real season for a change. Having practices and matches is so refreshing since missing out on so much for those two years,” Thompson said.
“It’s awesome to finally have a real season, and we’re off to a great start so far with our latest matches…We have a great team this year, especially two varsity singles players Simon and Vincent, both freshmen,” Jarvis said.
Because the 2020 and 2021 seasons were shut down by COVID-19, only one starting varsity player remains from the spring 2019 team. Everyone else on varsity is new, including three starting freshmen and three starting sophomores. The teams’ first season match is planned to be held on March 8 and every Tuesday and Thursday until April 28.
The largely new team has many promising players. According to Simone, Simon Catazaro (’25), who holds the first singles position, is predicted to have a victorious season. Vincent Cheng(’25) and Liam MacMahon (’24) are also off to a great start, and hold the second and third singles position.
The varsity team has been on a roll with their pre-season matches against El Segundo High School and Beverly Hills High School. The Samohi team has yet to lose, and every student has won their matches so far. The season ahead is looking bright.
Simone’s primary goal for the season is to stand out in the Bay League. Being in the most competitive league, he hopes to make it to CIF with the varsity team. Both captains have faith that their team will win the league and fight hard in CIF.
“With the team we have this year I definitely think we can not only win more matches, but also shoot for a higher standing in our league, and I believe a solid goal for us would be securing a seeded position in CIF at the end of the season,” Jarvis said.
Boys’ varsity tennis captain Cole Thompson (‘22) readies his racket to volley a ball during a match on February 24.