City Tennis : Palisades Continues to Dominate in 4-A

Palisades and North Hollywood met Tuesday at the Racquet Centre in Studio City for the City 4-A tennis title, with predictable results.

There were arguments, some yelling and a near-altercation. One team walked away triumphant and the other walked away bitter. Usual stuff for a North Hollywood-Palisades match.

There was also some tennis, and Palisades won that part of the match, 22 1/2-7, for the Dolphins’ 17th title in 22 years.

The Dolphins’ domination hasn’t made them many friends, but the Huskies have other reasons for their bitterness. In 1984, North Hollywood beat Palisades to win the City title, but was stripped of the title after a Palisades protest.

The Dolphins claimed North Hollywood illegally altered its lineup for a strategic advantage. The City agreed, stripping the Huskies of the title and leaving it vacant.

The next year, North Hollywood, still bitter toward Palisades, lost to the Dolphins in the final. Last year, Palisades beat University in the final, and the controversy was thought to have died out.

But the animosity between the teams surfaced in a first-round match between Palisades’ Karl Narsi and North Hollywood’s Jason Freeman.

Narsi said Freeman was calling good shots by Narsi out. They argued, and then Freeman came over the net and challenged Narsi to a fight.

An umpire intervened and the set was completed. There were no more confrontations, although several players had heated exchanges.

After the first round, Palisades led, 5-3 1/2. In the second round, the Dolphins took over, dominating the match after that.

Shawn Helmig and Mason Harris each won all four of his singles sets for Palisades (17-2). The doubles team of Michael Dismukes and Eric Shiu lost only two games in winning all three of their sets.

The win may be Palisades’ last for a while, as the Dolphins will have 11 players lost to graduation in the last two years.

“I’ve got to come up with six players from JV,” Palisades Coach Bud Kling said. “If I’m sitting here in this position next year, then I’m a great coach.”

The 3-A final provided a stark contrast to the 4-A final as Eagle Rock held off “friendly” rival Marshall, 15 1/2-14, to win its fourth title in six years.

Eagle Rock, which beat Marshall twice in Northern League play, took a 14 1/2-9 lead and appeared to have the match sewn up.

Marshall rallied, pulling within 14 1/2-13 with two sets to play. But Jung Suh, one of the heroes of Eagle Rock’s 1985 win over Marshall in the 1985 final, hung on defeat O’Neal Spicer, 7-5, and clinch the title.

After the match, the opposing players congratulated each other and some walked off the court arm-in-arm.

“This is more of a friendly rivalry,” Marshall Allen Goldin said. “We respect them and their coach.”