Corona del Mar boys' tennis still on top in the Sunset League
The Corona del Mar High boys' tennis team lost its top two players, Niels Hoffmann and Jack Cross, to graduation.
But a deep and talented lineup has squashed any doubts this season.
CdM swept in singles and beat Marina 12-6 on Wednesday afternoon at its home courts, clinching at least a share of the Sunset League title with three matches remaining.
The Sea Kings had dominated the four-team Surf League in recent years, splitting the league crown with Fountain Valley in 2021 before three straight undefeated league campaigns. Now, even with the move to the larger, seven-team Sunset League, CdM is still on top.
Corona del Mar (11-2, 9-0 in league) has advanced to the CIF Southern Section Open Division title match in each of the last three years, falling to rival University every time.
'The goal is always to win a league title, and then to be in the Open Division playoffs,' CdM coach Jamie Gresh said. 'That's the goal every year, and I think we are playing Open-level tennis. We have good depth in doubles, and the singles guys are playing some good tennis right now as well.'
CdM junior Ivan Pflueger and freshmen Henry Dennison and Blake Fraley easily swept in singles against Marina (9-3, 4-3), as the Vikings put each of their top four players in doubles. The CdM doubles teams of Mason Nguyen and Tristan Pham, Jack Barnes and Justin Pamer, as well as Roger Geng and Brody Jao, won one set each.
Pflueger, who is 6-foot-6, has had to stand tall as the top returning singles player.
'Definitely a little more pressure, because I'm kind of expected to win now,' he said. 'Niels and Jack kind of carried it at singles the last couple of years. But yeah, I just have to deal with that and get my wins, do my best.'
Pflueger added that the team camaraderie is good this year, echoing his coach that winning league and making a deep playoff run remains the goal.
CdM had the match wrapped up early against Marina, allowing seniors Pham and Ansel Lee to skip the third round in preparation for Wednesday night's Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Awards dinner. Pham and Lee are two of CdM's valedictorians this year.
Senior Trevor Nguyen and junior David Pham, who won the CIF Individuals doubles title last year, swept in doubles for Marina. Vikings coach Chuck Kingman said they played together for the first time this season, getting ready for what they hope is a deep run at the Ojai Tournament later this month.
Last year, Nguyen and Pham lost in a tight three-set match in the Ojai semifinals.
Junior Alejandro Hill and freshman DJ Buchfeller also swept in doubles for Marina, twice coming back from 4-1 deficits.
The Vikings are getting toward full strength as the season enters the stretch run. Hill, a transfer from Servite, recently became eligible to compete. Buchfeller has missed time with a shoulder injury that forced him to serve underhand on Wednesday.
'CdM just has so much depth,' Kingman said. 'Good players and depth, which is a pretty tough combination to beat.'
Hill will be playing in singles at the prestigious Ojai Tournament, which starts on April 24, for the VIkings. Pflueger will be playing singles for CdM, with Geng and Jao in doubles.
Corona del Mar returns to Sunset League action after spring break on April 14, when it hosts rival Newport Harbor in the Battle of the Bay match. The Sea Kings beat the Sailors 16-2 in the teams' first league meeting.
Marina traveled to Newport Harbor on Thursday for another league match.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
6 hours ago
Patriots beat Vikings 20-12 as rookies Henderson and Chism each record another preseason TD
MINNEAPOLIS -- New England rookies TreVeyon Henderson and Efton Chism III each had another preseason touchdown, and the Patriots beat the Minnesota Vikings 20-12 on Saturday. Henderson, the second-round draft pick from national champion Ohio State who's been turning heads in training camp and tracking toward a prominent role in the backfield, rushed for 20 yards with an 8-yard score on four carries during a two-drive stint for the first-team offense. Henderson had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last week. 'He runs hard and protects the ball, and guys were finishing and gave him a little bit of grease,' Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said. 'You don't need much, and he finds it.' Vrabel held a handful of projected starters out, including four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who's returning from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered halfway through his lone season with the Houston Texans. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye started against an all-backups Vikings defense and went 4 for 7 for 46 yards with a delay-of-game penalty and an overthrow that was nearly intercepted but dropped by Tavierre Thomas. Chism made another compelling case for a regular-season roster spot with six receptions from backup QB Joshua Dobbs for 71 yards and a score. He caught a short throw on third-and-9 from the 12 and broke six tackle attempts as he twisted and muscled his way into the end zone. 'He wants it, and I think that's the biggest thing he's showed,' Maye said. 'I think it's paying off for him.' With Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and veterans Kendrick Bourne and Mack Hollins secure on the roster, the Patriots (2-0) might only have one spot left for a wide receiver. Chism, who was undrafted as an FCS player from Eastern Washington, will certainly get a long look. He had a 12-yard touchdown catch last week. 'Doesn't matter how you get here,' Vrabel said. 'The only thing that matters is what you do when you're here and I think that's another great example of that.' The two teams had two days of joint practices this week, providing plenty of tests for players in situational drills in a controlled setting, and Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell was more than satisfied with the work. No projected starter on either side of the ball suited up for Minnesota (1-1), and several key backups who are locks to make the team were given the afternoon off, too. New quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who led one 12-play drive last week, wore an earpiece on the sideline while Sam Howell started. Howell, who was acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks in April after the veteran backup market dried up, went 1 for 5 with an interception he forced off his back foot under pressure. Brett Rypien was 7 for 11 for 83 yards in the second quarter. Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer, who has been the best of the backups in camp, went 15 for 27 for 156 yards while playing the whole second half. His final throw from the 13-yard line on the last play of the game was tipped and intercepted in the end zone by Kyle Dugger. 'There's a reason why we're playing all three of them," O'Connell said. 'As far as what that means in the overall competition, I think I would just say that it's still open and we're trying to figure out what that room is going to look like for the season.' Dugger has 65 starts over five seasons, but he's been relegated to the second team as the Patriots implement a new scheme under Vrabel. Another incumbent starter, outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings, joined Dugger with extensive playing time in the second half while surrounded by rookies trying to make the team. Jennings had three sacks. Another first-teamer who's fallen behind, 2022 first-round draft pick Cole Strange, played with backups while Ben Brown started at left guard. The Patriots finish the preseason at New York Giants on Thursday, when the Vikings play at the Tennessee Titans.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Vikings Coach Kevin O'Connell Going Viral For Swearing On Live Mic
Vikings Coach Kevin O'Connell Going Viral For Swearing On Live Mic originally appeared on The Spun. Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell is hoping to pull off the rare feat of going to the playoffs three times with three different starting quarterbacks in just four seasons. Coming off a 14-3 season where Sam Darnold threw for over 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns, he must now try to replicate the feat with J.J. McCarthy. But O'Connell may need to get that checkbook ready because the NFL is probably going to have a nasty fine letter in the mail for him this week. He dropped an F-bomb live, with his microphone on during today's preseason game. The heat of the moment During an offensive possession, the Vikings head coach was mic'd up for a brief conversation with the announcing team. While a play was going on he started talking about how excited he was for the game and began talking about the play they were executing. But then he noticed a pre-snap penalty his team was guilty of dropped the very bad word. He tried to control himself, but let it slip anyway. ""I'm excited about this year's team and excited about this play-call, fellas. We've got a fast-motion... oh no, (expletive)..." he said. Fans on social media who saw the scene couldn't help but give it a good chuckle: "That's my HC lmao," one user replied. "This is so great," wrote another. "Saw it immediately. Great moment," a third said. "(Kevin O'Connell) was mic'd up on the broadcast for the whole 3rd quarter - they need to do this more often." "He knew what's gonna happen before it happens." Expectations for 2025 In his three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Kevin O'Connell has gone 34-17. His wins have come from the likes of Kirk Cousins, Joshua Dobbs, Jared Hall and Sam Darnold. O'Connell's starting quarterback for the 2025 season will be J.J. McCarthy, who likely would have been the starter as a rookie last year before a season-ending injury thrust Darnold into the spotlight. Darnold ran away with the job, leading them to a 14-3 record and a trip to the playoffs before taking a big contract with the Seattle Seahawks in the ensuing offseason. Nearly everything about the Vikings from last year are the same this year aside from the change in quarterback. Of course, a quarterback change is usually more impactful than a dozen changes to the rest of the depth chart. Vikings Coach Kevin O'Connell Going Viral For Swearing On Live Mic first appeared on The Spun on Aug 16, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Patriots struggle in second joint practice with Vikings
The Patriots held their own against the Vikings on Wednesday, but Thursday's joint practice belonged to Minnesota. WBZ-TV's Dan Roche has all the takeaways, including a birthday wish by head coach Mike Vrabel.
