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Thacher looking to stay aggressive in Division V final
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More from TennisThacher School boys' tennis coach Pete Fagan has stressed all year to his team the importance of being aggressive and taking control of the net. Two weeks ago against San Dimas in the CIF-Southern Section Division V playoffs the Toads practically put on a clinic on how to play attacking tennis.
The result was a 15-3 second-round victory and Thacher hasn't stopped there, reaching the championship match following last Tuesday's 10-8 semifinal win over Segerstrom.
As Thacher gets ready to face La Salle of Pasadena today at Claremont in the Division V final, Fagan knows what his players must do if they hope to win.
"We can't back down," Fagan said. "La Salle has a tough team. They've also got a great No. 1 doubles team."
La Salle comes into the championship match on the heels of an 11-7 semifinal victory over defending Division V champion Cate, which had won its previous three playoff rounds by a combined score of 48-6.
But Thacher, which lost to Cate in last year's Division V final, has been equally impressive, starting with a 13-5 first-round win over Don Bosco Tech. The Toads then defeated San Dimas, Beaumont and Segerstrom.
The Toads feature a strong No. 1 singles player in sophomore McCoy Becker, who swept his three sets impressively against Segerstrom. Will Oberndorf, a senior, has had a strong season in singles.
In doubles, Steven Yih and Andrew Pollett anchor the No. 1 spot. The No. 2 team features a pair of juniors, Sean O'Brien and John Lehrkind.
Against Segerstrom, O'Brien and Lehrkind won three sets to help Thacher pull out the victory.
Thacher brings a 1 overall record into today's final, including non-league victories over Ventura and Nordhoff. Two of the Toads' losses this season have been to Cate.
When the players hit the court today, Thacher will have had eight days off since playing in the semifinals. Fagan believes his team has used the time off wisely.
"We've had a few practices, played some tiebreakers and worked on some drills," Fagan said. "We've played plenty of matches. It's all going to come down to executing (today)."
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