La Jolla, Torrey Pines Take Tennis Titles

After La Jolla High clinched its fifth consecutive section tennis title and 20th in 22 years, University of San Diego High’s Chris Tontz said there was only one thing left to do.

“They should put them in their own league,” said Tontz, whose second-seeded USDHS team fell to top-seeded La Jolla, 13-5, in the 2-A finals Thursday at Morley Field.

Or better yet . . . .

“Maybe they should give us some of their players,” Tontz said. “I wish we could have some dream team to beat them. It’s really frustrating.”

It had to be a pretty frustrating day for Mt. Carmel too, which lost 17-1 to Torrey Pines in the 3-A finals. In their previous two meetings, second-seeded Mt. Carmel (15-7) lost a pair of 11-7 matches.

USDHS finished its best season in school history at 19-4, with all four losses coming to La Jolla. After getting blown out in the first two meetings, USDHS put up a fight in the City Western League finals, losing only 12-6.

“That match gave us a little hope,” USDHS Coach Jim Tomey said.

Tomey was more hopeful upon learning that one of La Jolla’s best singles players, David Smith, would not play. He was in Colorado at a Rocky Mountain regional qualifying tournament.

But La Jolla (20-2), whose only two losses came to University Irvine and Santa Barbara, wasn’t about to let Smith’s absence get in the way of a section title. Junior James Conda’s 6-4 victory over Tontz at No. 1 singles gave La Jolla a 6-0 lead after the first round, and it was Conda’s 6-2 second-round victory over Paul Corona that clinched the victory.

Junior Jonathon Elsberry, who won his two singles matches before being replaced by Trevor Hess, said each year there seemed to be more motivation to repeat.

“We don’t want to be the team that has to say we lost,” Elsberry said. “Everyone is out to beat us, saying ‘We’re just a bunch of La Jolla snobs.’ Our team talks about that kind of stuff.”

Elsberry acknowledged there is a bit of arrogance that comes with the success.

“We have to be a little arrogant,” he said. “It keeps us going.”

Said Tontz: “They have the right to be arrogant.”