Edison boys’ tennis downs Newport Harbor to stay perfect in Wave League
The Edison High boys’ tennis team was missing its head coach for Thursday’s Wave League match at Newport Harbor.
Chargers coach Dave Lemons is a big Los Angeles Dodgers fan, and his baseball team had its opening day on Thursday. Bill Matheny, who usually coaches the Edison junior varsity team, said that Lemons was at Dodger Stadium to watch the Dodgers play against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Lemons texted Edison senior Ryan Lum during the match to check on how the team was doing, but Lum said he didn’t get the text until after the match completed.
“I was cheering the team on and I never made it back to my phone,” Lum said. “After the match, that was the only update he got the whole day.”
Lum’s partner at No. 1 doubles, Logan Sherouse, just smiled.
“That’s OK,” Sherouse said. “He’s watching the Dodgers.”
The score of the boys’ tennis match and baseball game were similar. Soon after the Dodgers earned a 12-5 victory, the Chargers beat the Sailors 13-5.
Edison (8-7, 3-0 in league) stayed in first place in the league halfway through the campaign. The Chargers host Laguna Beach (6-8, 2-1) in a key league match Tuesday. Edison edged out a 10-8 win over the Breakers on March 7 in their first league meeting.
“It’ll be a close one,” Sherouse said. “We’ve got to focus and get ready for Tuesday.”
The Chargers easily swept in doubles against Newport Harbor (4-9, 0-2). Lum and Sherouse won 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, and the No. 2 pairing of Brandon Pham and Chris Nero won 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. Nick Beebe and Blake Hepburn won a pair of sets, 6-0, 6-1, before Roshan Swaroop substituted in to team with Hepburn for a 6-1 win in the final round.
“I feel like our team chemistry is really good, just bonding with each other, going to lunches before the match,” Lum said. “We’re friends on this team. I think it improves our doubles chemistry, and we work on it a lot in practice as well.”
Jason You won twice in singles for Edison, and Alex Nguyen and Sam Williams each won once.
You’s first round set against Newport Harbor senior Josh Watkins was the highlight of the match. Watkins came back from a break of serve down to edge You 7-5, and he went on to sweep his three sets for the day.
“For him to keep himself together mentally and close that one out, it’s great for Josh,” Newport Harbor coach Kristen Case said. “It’s also great for our newer players that aren’t as experienced yet to see that kind of mental toughness. It’s a really cool opportunity for them to learn from Josh.
“I’m proud of the guys. In high school sports, everything goes in cycles and you have your rebuilding years. For the most part, they have kept such great attitudes. They work hard every day, they are continuously open to learning and they’re having fun in the process. I really couldn’t ask for more.”
Prescott Cook, a sophomore, won twice in singles for the Sailors, who host rival Corona del Mar on Monday in a Sunset Conference crossover match that was previously postponed.
Edison should have Lemons back for Tuesday’s match against Laguna Beach. A victory would clinch at least a share of the Wave League title, which would be a first for Edison in Lemons’ 11-year tenure at the school.
“This is my fourth year playing on varsity,” Lum said. “My first year, we didn’t win a single league match. It’s pretty cool to steadily improve each year. To be in a position where we could potentially win this year, it’s pretty exciting.”
Twitter: @mjszabo
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
