Nevada Preps: Coronado girls tennis team stuns Palo Verde

Records, legacies and winning streaks are made to be broken.

Palo Verde’s girls tennis team is the owner of all three, but Coronado might be on the cusp of doing some breaking.

The Panthers have been nearly unbeatable the past half decade, but the unthinkable happened Sept. 8 when Coronado handed them an 11-7 loss. For the first time in years, another team is suddenly being discussed as the state front-runner.

“The biggest thing for the kids is they now believe they can win,” Coronado coach David Willingham said of his squad’s stunning win over the five-time Class 5A defending state champion Panthers. “I try to downplay the overall impact, because in the end we’ll have to play them again. Palo is not going to take this lightly.”

But Faith Lutheran coach Keith Fridrich, whose team has an outside chance of rising to the top this season, said he sees a potential shift in power.

“That Coronado team is really balanced, all the way through the lineup,” said Fridrich, whose squad fell 12-6 to Coronado on Wednesday. “I think that balance is probably the difference.”

Willingham agreed.

“We were really competitive and did well in every spot,” he said. “I feel like we put ourselves at the top, but when you’re at the top there’s added pressure.”

Palo Verde junior Remi Rice, who went 3-0 against Coronado at No. 1 singles, is still viewed as the top player in the league, but Coronado has closed the gap at all other spots in the lineup.

Erika Gallegos lost to Rice at No.1 singles, but won her other matches. Her sister Isabella Gallegos and teammate Gigi Smart swept in doubles, and freshmen Hana Wright and Kamilah Saine had key wins.

Willingham has his sights set on a team state championship, but he knows he must nurse his players through the mental side of the game.

“The big thing is to enjoy the experience,” he said. “We need to have as much fun as we can without getting too tense each and every match. We’ll focus on the championship once we get to the (state) tournament.”

The Cougars enter the regular-season’s final stretch ranked No. 1, with Palo Verde and Faith Lutheran just behind.

In the end, Fridrich believes the title will come down to two factors.

“It will take consistency and the ability to execute when it matters most,” he said.

The Meadows (11-2) has dominated in 4A action, with Doral Academy in pursuit. The Mustangs, who will not face the Dragons until postseason play, recently put up a fight in an 11-7 nonleague loss to 5A Coronado on Thursday.

Boys tennis

Palo Verde, Coronado and defending state champion Faith Lutheran are also the top teams in 5A boys competition, with the Panthers sitting on top. They will meet Faith Lutheran on Tuesday in a match that could clarify the order of the top three.

Palo Verde routed Coronado 15-3 last week.

The Meadows appears to be the team to beat in 4A competition, with Green Valley and Centennial also looking strong. The Mustangs do not play Green Valley in the regular season, but will play at Centennial on Sept. 25.

Girls golf

At Stallion Mountain, Rancho won the 4A Sky League match Tuesday by default as no other school fielded a complete team. The Rams’ Anastasia Goebel dominated, completing her round at 26-over 98 to defeat teammate Layla Stout by six strokes.

Goebel leads the league in the individual standings, and Rancho has a 30-9 first-place lead over Canyon Springs in the team standings.

Girls cross country

At Logandale, Coronado’s Gabrielle Benoualid finished the 5-kilometer Moapa Valley High School Pirate Invite in 19 minutes, 27 seconds to win the 4A/5A race. Western’s Yalitzi Muro (20:50) took second, and Coronado’s Isla Ulmer (20:59) was third.

Coronado won the team event with 24 points, finishing 17 points ahead of second-place Sierra Vista.

Boys cross country

Also at the Clark County Fairgrounds, Coronado’s Jacob Sturm completed the 5K Pirate Invite course in 17 minutes, 5 seconds to win the 4A/5A race. Basic’s Ryder Ports (17:06) finished second, and Coronado’s Jay Dorne (17:39) was third.

Coronado scored 27 points to claim the team victory, 24 points ahead of second-place finisher Basic.

Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.