No Surprise, Another Title for Santa Barbara : Prep tennis: Trigueiro’s strict coaching style, top-ranked players have helped Dons become the Southern Section’s dominant program.

Santa Barbara High boys’ tennis Coach Jack Trigueiro, referred to by his players as the team’s drill sergeant, had one of his few calm moments on the courts Wednesday afternoon.

After a 14-4 victory over University at the Irvine Racquet Club gave the Dons the Southern Section 4-A Division championship, Trigueiro called this year’s team his best ever. That is saying at a lot at Santa Barbara, which has won four consecutive titles and six in seven years.

The Dons have won nine titles. Only Santa Monica, with 10, has more Southern Section large-school championships.

“This team had so many elements,” Trigueiro said. “We’ve got some of the best kids in the Southland, and we weren’t even at full strength today.”

Alex DeCret, the No. 3 singles player, broke his jaw last week and missed the semifinals and finals. His replacement, freshman Jimmy Walker, lost his three matches Wednesday.

Still, Santa Barbara was unbeatable.

Said University Coach Josh Davis, whose team finished 23-2: “Today we lost to the best team in the nation. We came in here obvious underdogs. We were excited, but we were also nervous.”

No team is as dominant in California as Santa Barbara. It finished the season with a 25-0 record and has won 86 consecutive dual matches. Its last loss was to Beverly Hills midway through the 1988 season. Its last championship loss was to University, 11-7, in 1987.

With only four seniors on this year’s team, Trigueiro said next season should be more of the same.

Heath Montgomery, who plays No. 2 singles, will head the 1992 team. Montgomery is rated second in the 18-and-under division of the United States Tennis Assn.’s Southern California region.

The team’s No. 1 singles player, Peter Jeschke, is the top-rated player in the region.

Trigueiro acknowledges he has been blessed with a great deal of talent, but he says talent alone does not win tennis matches.

“There is a certain amount of complacency that comes along with winning,” he said. “Kids are always more coachable after a loss. Since we don’t lose much, my biggest challenge is to make sure these kids play with intensity.”

Trigueiro, 57, took over the tennis program in 1965. He was also the boys’ basketball coach then but gave up basketball in 1978.

Most Santa Barbara players show a fondness for Trigueiro but say his strict style of discipline takes some getting used to. Practices are hours of intense drills, with little room for mistakes. Losers of drills often have to act as crouched service targets for winners. Dropped rackets and foul language result in mandatory push-ups. Bad attitudes result in immediate dismissal.

Jeschke, who will attend Arizona State in the fall, acknowledged that he dreaded going to his first practice at Santa Barbara because of all the horror stories he had heard about Trigueiro.

“Coach Trigueiro knows how to win, and he knows how to get the most out of his players,” Jeschke said. “He’s very strict, but at the same time he knows how to be mellow. He knows the right buttons to push.”

Although senior Greg Peus was never able to play singles, he said he cannot fault Trigueiro. Peus, who played No. 1 doubles this season with Mark Jamali, said the Dons have so much talent that the competition among team members is more intense than from any opponent.

“Trigueiro is the leader and the disciplinarian of this team,” said Peus, who will continue his tennis career at Stanford. “He’s tough and everyone knows that. But everyone also wants to play on this team. It’s the goal of all the junior players in the area.”

Said Trigueiro: “We play hard on this team all of the time. There’s no time for comedy out there on the court. I won’t tolerate it. Our kids compete well and they treat their opponents with respect. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”