Boulder Creek tennis back in the swing

It didn’t take long for the Boulder Creek boys and girls tennis teams to get back in the swing of things.

The Jaguars girls, who made noise last year with a semifinal finish as a team and a top four placing for one of their doubles teams, began the 2007 season with shutouts of Ironwood and Cesar Chavez last week.

Vanessa Green, Hannah Townsend, Daishawna Matthews, Klayn Schmidt and Arianne Hickman all won their singles matches during the week.

Green and Townsend comprise the dynamic duo who are two of the state’s top singles and doubles players. Since players can only compete in one or the other for state tournaments, the pair decided to enter as a doubles team last year and reached the 5A‑Division II semifinals.

“Our goal this season, with the depth that we have, is to advance farther than we did last year,” said Boulder Creek coach Chuck Narvin, who coaches the Jaguars’ boys and girls teams.

Boulder Creek’s boys team, which has every player back from last year, started the season with a 7‑2 win over Ironwood. Co‑captains Nick Smillie and Eddie Taylor, as well as Brad Pinckney, Kenny Wong and Richie Pensabene all won their singles matches in straight sets.

The Jaguars boys team also swept Cesar Chavez 9‑0 as Pinckney played the No. 1 match and beat Chavez’s Dontar Logan 6‑0, 6‑2.

Nonetheless, whether it’s the boys or the girls, the Boulder Creek teams guarantee some great tennis action this season.

BE SURE TO catch next week’s issue of The Desert Advocate, which will begin previewing the high school spring sports season, including previews for local baseball, softball, boys volleyball, tennis and track and field teams.

Most baseball and softball teams begin play this week, including defending 4A‑Division II baseball champion Cactus Shadows. The Falcons will begin defense of their first 4A state championship with a three‑day tournament in Tucson.

Boulder Creek already began play in 5A at the Skyline Tournament, a preseason event made up of teams of all classifications. O’Connor will be in this week’s Aztec Baseball Classic at Tempe’s Corona del Sol High School.