The Wheels Stayed On During a Rough Ride : High school tennis: While coaches and players were changing, Calabasas remained focused, finally defeating Santa Ynez for the Division IV championship.

The Calabasas High boys’ tennis team must have sometimes felt like a band of racket-carrying orphans.

The Coyotes have played for three coaches this year--the last one taking over with only three weeks remaining.

They also lost their No. 1 singles player, Jason Weiss (before the season because of injury) and their No. 2 singles player, Jason Cook (at midseason after he withdrew from school).

It has been a rough ride with potholes and blowouts, but it had a smooth ending on Wednesday when Calabasas defeated Santa Ynez, 13 2/3-7 1/3, at Agoura High for the Southern Section Division IV championship.

The Coyotes (17-4), who won five section titles in six seasons from 1981-86, hadn’t reached the final in seven years.

There was some question whether they would make it this year after fourth-year Coach Casey Allen resigned before a key match against Burbank. Athletic Director Cindy Jones served as interim coach for several weeks until Ed Charles was named late in the season.

On the eve of Wednesday’s final, Charles, a former coach at Cal State Los Angeles, called the Coyotes cocky and questioned their work ethic.

Angry Calabasas players answered.

“Scoreboard, baby,” said senior doubles player Phil Abramson.

Abramson and senior Anupam Mishra swept three sets at No. 1 doubles, losing only two games. The No. 2 doubles team of Darren Miller and Jason Arashaben did the same.

And thanks to the doubles teams--which won eight of nine sets for 10 2/3 of Calabasas’ points--the Coyotes answered the verbal challenge by Charles.

“We were upset,” Abramson said, “because we thought it was a back-stabbing thing.”

“They didn’t think that it was fair for me to say that about them,” Charles said.

“But at the same time we kicked butt. (It was time) for them to get their act together and really work hard.”

Charles applauded Wednesday’s performance, after finding a way to spark a team that might have been numbed by all the changes.

“They didn’t play well, but they played hard,” Charles said.

“They didn’t give up. They wanted it really bad. For the first time today they came together. They were cheering each other. They were talking to each other on the bus.

“That’s what being a team is about. We haven’t had that until today. I’m really happy and proud for them.”

Calabasas trailed, 2-0, early after singles players Jeff Herz and Alex Wan dropped their opening matches. But the Coyotes pulled ahead, 5-2, after the first round of sets in the round-robin match. They led, 8 2/3-5 1/3, after two rounds but clinched it early in the third round when Mishra and Abramson defeated James Reid and Edwin Portillo, 6-0, and Miller and Arashaben beat Tony Cirincione and Brandon Dotson, 6-3.

That gave the Coyotes an 11 1/3-5 1/3 lead when they needed 10 2/3 to clinch.