Warrior netters reach CIF quarterfinals

Fallbrook High School’s boys tennis team reached the CIF quarterfinals, and in the CIF individual tournament the doubles team of David Wechter and Jake Isaac reached the round of 16.

The Warriors also finished second in the Avocado League standings with an 8-2 record. Fallbrook had an overall mark of 12-7.

“We were real happy with how this turned out. It was my first year, and I was learning the process,” said Fallbrook coach Andy DeSouza.

The Avocado League championship was won by Rancho Buena Vista, who was undefeated in ten league matches. Fallbrook’s only league losses were to the Longhorns. “They killed us the first time, 13 to 5, and the second time we were beating them 7 to 5 and they came back and ended up beating us 10 to 8,” DeSouza said.

“They deserve that,” DeSouza said of RBV’s wins and league championship. “They were the better team. But we were happy about how we improved.”

Rancho Buena Vista was the fifth seed in the CIF Division I playoffs. The Warriors also lost to third-seeded Rancho Bernardo twice, once in a non-league match and once in the CIF quarterfinals. Non-league losses to top-seeded Poway and second-seed Torrey Pines meant that six of the Warrior’s seven losses were against the top five Division I teams, and the seventh loss was against Cathedral Catholic, who reached the CIF Division III semifinals.

“Everyone else that we were supposed to beat, we beat,” DeSouza said.

Fallbrook was given the seventh seed in the CIF Division I playoffs. The first round of the CIF playoffs saw Fallbrook face Grossmont, who won its league championship and thus earned a home playoff match. “We still pulled it out,” DeSouza said.

The Warriors defeated the Foothillers by a 13-5 score before a 16-2 loss to Rancho Bernardo ended team play.

“But I really enjoyed the season. We had a lot of fun,” DeSouza said. “We wanted to enjoy it but still compete.”

The Warriors had four seniors on their 2007 squad. Wechter is a four-year starter who missed part of the season due to a pre-season injury. Wechter became part of the #1 doubles team after his return. Senior Matt Peacock was Fallbrook’s #2 singles player, senior Grant Siracusa played some #2 doubles and some #2 singles, and senior Cameron Huber was part of Fallbrook’s #3 doubles team.

Wechter and Isaac reached the finals of the league individual championship tournament before a loss to the Rancho Buena Vista duo who won the 2007 title. In the CIF individual tournament Wechter and Isaac prevailed over a Kearny duo in the first round and reached the round of 16 with a win over Steele Canyon teammates. Their season was ended in the round of 16 with a loss to a Rancho Bernardo doubles team.

Peacock and freshman Jonathan Wechter both reached the league semifinals in singles. Wechter reached the second round of the CIF playoffs while Peacock fell in the first round.

Sophomores Reese Dehm and Walter Henderson advanced to the quarterfinals of the league doubles tournament and captured a first-round win in the CIF tournament before being eliminated in the second round.