The 2016-2017 Brother Martin tennis team began practicing for the 2017 tennis season on Wednesday, April 27 after their 2016 season ended the day before in Monroe, LA at the state tournament.
Under the leadership of second year coach Marcelo Chanes the “EARN IT” system was implemented last year. The second phase, “Journey to Make a Difference,” began immediately after the state tournament last year. The preparation has continued throughout the summer and all during the current school year. Another important step of preparation for the upcoming season took place on Friday, December 2, at the New Orleans Hilton when the Jesuit Blue Jays (returning state champions) scrimmaged against the Crusaders.
The event will hopefully will be an annual event between the two schools, referred to as the 2016 Brother Martin – Jesuit “Amigos Forever Cup.” The idea was created by the Chilean – born coach Chanes along with coach Travis Smith of Jesuit. They both agreed that the idea would continue an already healthy camaraderie between the two schools. The evening started with team warm ups, a prayer by each senior team captain (Zachary Brubaker ‘17 for Brother Martin), and an exciting introduction of all the singles and doubles matches by Chanes.
Crusaders and the Blue Jays at the “Amigos Forever Cup.”
The event format was 12 matches, 12 games each match (one point for each game won), and one AD & NO AD scoring in each game. The first four matches were between the 5th – 8th singles players. The # 8 singles play had Christopher Russo ‘18 defeating Leo Seone of Jesuit by a score of 8-4. The # 7 singles match ended in a tie 6-6 between Sterling Heindel ‘20 and Cole LaCour of Jesuit. The # 6 singles match resulted in a win for Nathan Long ‘17 who defeated Dex Webster of Jesuit by a score of 9-3. The # 5 singles match was won by Hunter Kael ‘19 by a score of 8-4 over Christian Lacoste of Jesuit.
After a short break, the next round began between singles players # 1 – 4. The # 4 singles match resulted in the eventual MVP (based on total points scored in singles and doubles) Corey Canzoneri ‘17 gaining a convincing win over Andrew Ryan of Jesuit by a score of 10-2. The # 3 singles was won by Blue Jay Jojo Sandoz over Ethan Bosch ‘20 by a hard fought score of 8-4. In the # 2 singles, Graham Buck of Jesuit came back to defeat Zachary Brubaker ‘17, 7-5. The # 1 singles match was won by Blue Jay Jack Steib when he out battled Benjamin Chanes ‘18, 7-5.
Then, the final round of the four doubles matches took place. Following the first eight singles matches, the Crusaders led by a score of 55-41. The Crusaders continued to compete with intensity as the # 4 Crusader doubles team of Kael and Heindel defeated Luke Lingle and Christian Lacoste, 7-5. The # 3 Doubles team of Canzoneri and Russo from Brother Martin out-played LaCour and Seone, 10-2. The Blue Jays # 2 doubles pair of Buck and Ryan defeated the Crusaders Long and Bosch by a score of 8-4. The last match of the night between the # 1 doubles teams resulted in an exciting victory for the Crusaders consisting of Brubaker and Chanes over Steib and Sandoz, 7-5.
A special thank you to all the players, parents, and coaches who made this 1st annual “Amigos Forever Cup” a memorable event. The final score was Brother Martin 83 and Jesuit 61. Although it was a nice evening for the Crusaders, it remains an ongoing process to be able to accomplish the team’s dream of something that hasn’t been done in thirty years…a state championship. The 22 point margin of victory for the Crusaders displayed that hard work, sacrifice, and a positive attitude all lead to the 2017 team’s motto: “ONE TEAM…ONE HEARTBEAT.”
2016-2017 Crusader tennis team
