Warriors second in league boys tennis standings

A pair of 10-8 losses to league champion Rancho Buena Vista prevented Fallbrook High School from winning the 2024 Valley League boys tennis championship.

The Warriors finished the season with a league record of 6-2 while Rancho Buena Vista was 8-0 in league play. Fallbrook was 9-5 overall during the dual match portion of the season.

"We played well," said Fallbrook coach Bill Lenaway.

A high school tennis match consists of each of a school's three singles players contesting sets against each of the other school's singles players and each of a school's three doubles teams facing each of the other school's doubles tandems.

A team thus must have at least nine players to avoid forfeiting sets. Last year Fallbrook had only six players and a 10-8 victory over Ramona was the Warriors' only dual match win. Five of those six players returned for 2024.

"I've got a bunch of really good, experienced returners," Lenaway said. "I've got a bunch of beginners."

Fallbrook's season began Feb. 27 with an 11-7 home win over El Camino. If each team wins nine sets, the tiebreaker of games won determines the match winner, and that was the case for the Feb. 28 match at Classical Academy when a 70-61 advantage in games gave Fallbrook the team victory.

Pre-league play for Fallbrook continued with a 12-6 home loss Feb. 29 against Valley Center, an 18-0 defeat March 5 at Mission Hills, a 12-6 win March 7 at Orange Glen, and a 10-8 home loss March 13 against Classical Academy.

League play for the Warriors began March 14 with a 15-3 triumph at home against San Pasqual. The Warriors traveled to Ramona on March 19 and defeated the Bulldogs by a 13-5 score.

In the 10-8 home loss March 20 against Rancho Buena Vista, the Warriors won six of the nine singles points with senior Anthony Wilson, junior Connor Skaja, and sophomore Micah Kendall prevailing in two sets apiece. Fallbrook's two doubles points were both earned by Billy Mathewson and Casey Manion.

Spring Break was followed by a 15-3 win April 2 at San Pasqual and a 16-2 victory April 3 at home against Escondido. The April 9 trip to Rancho Buena Vista had league championship implications, and this time Fallbrook took seven of the singles points. Kendall won all three of his singles sets with Skaja and Wilson winning twice apiece. Mathewson and Manion accounted for the doubles point.

"We're hanging in there," Lenaway said.

Fallbrook swept the nine singles sets April 10 at home in the Warriors' 14-4 triumph over Ramona. Ramona seniors Avery Baldridge and Noah Furchner, who have played for the Bulldogs since their 2021 freshman season, swept their three doubles sets.

Matthewson and Manion defeated the other two Ramona doubles tandems as did Edward Gay and Everett Zietz. Adrian Del Razo and Ariel Perez won one doubles set for the Warriors.

A 16-2 win April 11 at Escondido concluded league and regular-season play for Fallbrook. Neither Wilson nor Skaja lost a game while Kendall only lost one game. Mathewson and Manion also won all of their games during the match.

"The kids are carrying their weight," Lenaway said.