San Marino Still Looking for the Right Combinations After Move Up to CIF Division I.
By Mitch Lehman
Many, if not most other sports at San Marino High School would be satisfied with a season that ended with a loss in the quarterfinals of the toughest division in CIF.
Most other sports are not, however, girls’ tennis, a standard-bearing franchise if there is one at SMHS, having claimed two of the last three championships.
Proving that success can be your greatest enemy, the Lady Titans were rewarded for their exploits by being promoted all the way to Division I, where they are forced to do battle with schools more than three times their size.
It is all of little matter to head Coach Melwyn Pereira, who has guided San Marino High School’s tennis teams to four CIF titles in the past four years – two girls’ and two boys’ – with no plans to cut back on the harvest. Pereira, a former Davis Cup competitor himself, seems to embrace the challenge.
“Things go up and down,” Pereira waxes, philosophically. “Players come and players go. I love the challenge. It’s really fun.”
It’s doubtful tennis practice at other schools resemble those at SMHS. On several recent (hot) afternoons, Pereira stood, racket in hand, explaining proper court positioning and coverage expectations.
“That is where we learn and become better,” Pereira explained. “Practice is very important.”
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