Southern Section 4-A Boys’ Tennis Final : Santa Barbara Retains Its Title With 12-6 Win Over Miraleste

Santa Barbara High School, having won 19 straight Channel League titles, is trying to start a similar streak in the Southern Section boys’ team tennis finals.

Wednesday, the Dons won their second straight 4-A title with a 12-6 win over Miraleste of Rancho Palos Verdes at the Kramer Tennis Club in Rolling Hills Estates.

For Santa Barbara, this title was a bonus, considering it came in “a rebuilding year.”

Last year, led by nationally ranked singles players such as Tim Trigueiro and Alez Nizet, Santa Barbara swept through the 4-A, going 25-0 and easily winning the title.

This year, despite having lost Trigueiro and Nizet to graduation, Santa Barbara went 25-0 and won the title again.

“We had some of the bigger guns last year,” Jack Trigueiro, Santa Barbara coach and Tim’s father, said. “I think we had a little higher expectations for that team.

“But from a team-unity point of view, this has to be a little more satisfying.”

Santa Barbara won this championship because they are a strong team from top to bottom, with virtually no weaknesses, as they demonstrated Wednesday.

Tied, 3-3, after the first round, the Dons proceeded to take control of the match, winning all six sets in the second round to virtually clinch the match.

“They blitzed us in the second round,” Miraleste Coach Jim Hanson said. “It hurt us because we don’t have the depth that Santa Barbara has.”

“I think that the end of our ladder helped us,” Trigueiro said. “At this level, you’re only as good as the bottom of your ladder.”

And that end of the ladder was very good, coming up with a couple of big wins. No. 3 singles player Danny Webster upset Miraleste’s No. 1 singles player, David Bier, 6-3, and the No. 3 doubles team of Danny Echt and Greg Gately upset Miraleste’s No. 1 doubles team of Morris Ritter and Rex Hoffman, 6-2.

The top of the ladder also did its part. No. 1 singles player Eric Peus won all three of his matches, and the No. 1 doubles team of Brad Hess and Kevin Schmidtchen won all of their matches.

Miraleste finishes the season 22-2.