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Perfect Finish for Mak

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From Staff Reports

Maybe Irvine University High’s second consecutive tennis championship season wasn’t as perfect as last year. But for Henry Mak, the ending was just as sweet.

Mak missed most of the season because of a blood infection, but he and doubles partner Edwin Chen contributed three points to the top-seeded Trojans’ 12-6 victory over Woodbridge on Wednesday in the Division II final at the Claremont Club.

“Toward the end of that last match, my adrenaline was so high,” Mak said. “It’s so great to come out here and help the team out.”

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Mak didn’t even play a match until late in the season against Corona del Mar and he said he was only about 70% healthy Wednesday. But he was undefeated with Chen in three playoff matches.

Woodbridge Coach Ric Barth said Mak meant everything to University.

“Mak makes them a whole different team,” he said. “It gives them two solid singles players and two solid doubles teams.”

Woodbridge (19-6) won seven doubles sets in a 12-6 semifinal victory over Troy, but took only two Wednesday.

University’s most significant doubles victory might have come in the first round when Jeff Lawrence and Anson Hsu defeated A.J. Bertone and Paul Strozier at No. 1, 7-5. That victory gave University (18-7) a 4-2 lead after the first round and nullified Erik Oijala’s 6-3 upset of Jack Li at No. 2 singles.

In other Southern Section finals:

Los Alamitos 13, Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley 5--Kevin McQuaid and John Mano each swept three singles sets and Los Alamitos’ doubles teams won seven of nine sets in the Division I final as the Griffins won their first section title.

Anaheim Servite 10, Goleta Dos Pueblos 8--Top-seeded Servite swept all nine singles sets en route to the Division IV title, its first section championship.

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Corona del Mar 14, Brentwood 4--With Brentwood’s top singles’ player Sean McKean unable to play because of food poisoning, Corona del Mar won all nine singles sets and five doubles sets to win the Division V title.

Southern Section baseball finals in six divisions will be played today and Saturday.

The Division VI final between Boron and Avalon is today at 4:30 at Blair Field in Long Beach. The Division V final between Whittier Christian and Valley Christian is at 7:30.

The games had been scheduled to be played at Cal State Fullerton on Friday. The site was changed when Fullerton was awarded an NCAA super regional.

Southern Section finals in Division I, II, III and IV are Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

The schedule: Division IV--La Puente Bishop Amat vs. Ridgecrest Burroughs, 10 a.m.; III--Westlake vs. Anaheim El Dorado, 1 p.m.; II-- Riverside Poly vs. Huntington Beach Edison, 4:30 p.m.; I--Long Beach Millikan vs. Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley, 7:30 p.m.

City Section baseball semifinals will be played today with winners advancing to championship games Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

In a championship division doubleheader at Birmingham High, Chatsworth plays Wilmington Banning at 3 p.m. and Poly plays Roosevelt at 7.

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Cleveland plays El Camino Real at Pierce College, and North Hollywood plays Eagle Rock at Van Nuys Grant in Invitational games.

Southern Section softball finals are Friday and Saturday at Barber Memorial Park in Irvine.

Friday’s schedule: Div. VI--Thousand Oaks Christian vs. Linfield, 5 p.m.; II--Thousand Oaks vs. Whittier California, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday’s schedule: V--Orange Lutheran vs. Lancaster Paraclete, 10 a.m.; III--Whittier La Serna vs. Orange El Modena, 1 p.m.; IV--San Dimas vs. Lompoc, 4:30 p.m.; I--Rancho Cucamonga vs. Esperanza, 7:30 p.m.

Phillip Francis of Fairfax, the City Section champion in the 100- and 200-meter events, leads a contingent of City and Southern Section athletes that will be in Sacramento Friday and Saturday for the state track and field championships at Hughes Stadium.

The CIF-SCGA golf tournament will be played Tuesday at SCGA Members’ Club in Murrieta.

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