With less than a week remaining in the regular season, Coronado tennis coach Dave Willingham is clinging to two dreams.
Willingham’s boys and girls teams both have a shot at Class 5A state championships. Things have mostly gone according to plan, but the coach knows his teams are a bad day from seeing their goals go down the drain.
“I think we have a legitimate shot,” Willingham said. “The boys have a really good shot. They’re really deep, and the senior leadership is amazing. The girls team is fortunate to have a lot of good freshmen.”
Willingham is cautiously optimistic, as he knows an injury could be costly. He and several other top coaches are evaluating their positions as the postseason nears. The 5A state tournament for teams is scheduled to begin Oct. 4.
Boys tennis
Coronado moved into the driver’s seat with a signature 12-6 victory over two-time defending champion Palo Verde on Aug. 28. The Cougars entered this week at 8-0 in league play, but Faith Lutheran was also undefeated at 6-0. And Bishop Gorman (3-2) and Palo Verde (5-3) cannot be counted out.
“Those four teams are going to be battling it out,” Willingham said. “It’s going to be tight.”
The next week features a fairly noneventful schedule, with the exception of a Faith Lutheran-Coronado showdown next Monday at Coronado. The winner will control its destiny heading into state play.
Centennial (6-0), Doral Academy (6-0) and Durango (4-0) remained unbeaten heading into the final full week of regular-season 4A Desert competition.
Doral has a big week ahead, as the Dragons will host Centennial on Tuesday and Durango on Wednesday. Both matches will be at Darling Tennis Center.
Centennial travels to play Durango next Monday in the final showcase match of the regular season.
The Meadows opened the week at the top of the 4A Mountain field at 6-0, with Foothill (5-1) and Tech (5-1) in pursuit. None of the three squads is expected to face a serious threat this week.
In 3A play, Pahrump Valley (9-0) and Boulder City (7-0) opened the week as the teams to beat.
Girls tennis
At 8-0, Palo Verde entered the week in first place over rival Coronado (7-1). At 6-1, Clark opened in the third spot.
But the Chargers face a brutal final week that will include matches against Coronado, Faith Lutheran and Bishop Gorman.
The defending state champion Panthers have the edge heading down the stretch, as they are not likely to face a serious threat in the final week.
In 4A Desert play, Centennial and Doral Academy opened the week at 6-0. The teams play at Darling Tennis Center today, with the winner likely to nab the top postseason seed.
The Meadows (6-0) came into the week as the 4A Mountain favorite, while Foothill (5-1) and Silverado (5-1) will battle to maintain the second spot with a match Thursday at Foothill.
Boulder City (8-0), Pahrump Valley (8-1) and Cimarron-Memorial (7-1) entered the week as the top 3A contenders. No head-to-head matches remain among those teams.
Girls golf
Faith Lutheran is ranked No. 1 in 5A Desert action, with the state tournament Oct. 9 and 10. Coronado, which has battled injuries, and Palo Verde are deadlocked at the No. 2 position.
Faith Lutheran’s Maddie Perez is the division’s top-ranked golfer with two regular-season matches to play, followed by Coronado’s Berlin Biddinger and Faith Lutheran’s Macy Garth.
Bishop Gorman holds the top spot in 5A Desert play, followed by Clark and Arbor View.
Clark’s Alliah Jordan is ranked first with two matches remaining, while Bishop Gorman’s Samantha Harris is second and Sierra Vista’s Nya Palmer third.
Desert Oasis sits at the top of the 4A Desert standings with one regular-season match remaining. The state tournament is Oct. 14 and 15.
Brittani Stone of Las Vegas High is ranked at the top spot, with Desert Oasis’ Lexi Rosenthal second and Legacy’s Kali Patterson third.
Rancho, Basic and Doral Academy are battling for the top spot in the 4A Mountain with two matches remaining in the regular season.
Rancho’s Raegan Williams, Tech’s Kara Tien and Klara Kulova are battling for the top spot in the division.
Class 3A will feature a regional tournament Oct. 9 and 10. Boulder City and Virgin Valley share the top spot heading down the stretch.
With one match remaining before the regional, Virgin Valley’s Abigail Llewellyn leads the field, with Pahrump Valley’s Ali Zuniga at No. 2 and The Meadows’ Iris Sim at No. 3.
Girls cross country
The cross country season has a month to go before postseason competition, and several teams were active last weekend.
Shadow Ridge competed in the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic on Saturday in Irvine, California. More than 15,000 athletes competed in 52 races, with the Mustangs finishing their varsity event second overall. Elynn Okuda covered the 3-mile course in 17:52 to lead Shadow Ridge, which placed six runners in the top 100 of a field that included 211 athletes.
Bishop Gorman’s Gabriella Martinez won Saturday’s 5-kilometer CSN Invitational at Floyd Lamb State Park, finishing in 19 minutes, 8 seconds. Palo Verde claimed the team victory.
Boys cross country
At Irvine, Shadow Ridge finished 10th in the elite Sweepstakes Race of the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic. Running against the top runners in the country, the Mustangs’ Carson Wetzel covered the 3-mile course in 14:16 to finish 31st.
Rancho’s Emmanuel Salinas was the top local finisher at Saturday’s CSN Invitational. He completed the 5K course in 15:53 to finish second. Bishop Gorman paced all five scoring runners in the top 11 to take the team victory.
Jeff Wollard can be reached at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.