Warriors win tennis league opener

Valley League competition for Fallbrook High School's boys tennis team began March 21 when the Warriors hosted San Pasqual High School on the Fallbrook Tennis Club courts, and the 12-6 victory gave Fallbrook a 1-0 league record as part of the Warriors' 6-3 overall mark.

"It was a good win for us," said Fallbrook coach Bill Lenaway.

The Golden Eagles were in the Avocado East League prior to the North County Conference realignment and defeated Fallbrook in 2015 and 2016 non-league matches. San Pasqual prevailed by a 11-7 margin in the 2015 match at the Fallbrook Tennis Club and took a 10-8 victory over the Warriors in the 2016 competition at San Pasqual.

A 14-4 win March 7 at Mission Hills gave Fallbrook a 4-0 season record. The Warriors' match at Mount Carmel the following day ended with each team winning nine sets, and the match was decided in the Sundevils' favor on the tiebreaking criteria of games won.

"I think it was a match we could have won," Lenaway said.

Fallbrook had set point in one of the contests at Mount Carmel but lost that game before winning the next game to win the set. The loss in that game was the difference in the tiebreaker.

"It was that close," Lenaway said.

The Warriors' record fell to 4-2 March 9 with a 17-1 home loss to Torrey Pines.

"They're arguably the best tennis team in the country," Lenaway said of the Falcons.

La Costa Canyon traveled to Fallbrook for a March 14 match and returned home with a 15-3 victory. The Warriors then hosted Carlsbad on March 15 and split the 18 sets, but Fallbrook's 74-71 advantage in games gave the Warriors the victory.

The league opener against San Pasqual saw all six Fallbrook singles players or doubles teams win at least one set, and the Warriors won six singles sets and six doubles sets. Riley Lenaway won all three of his singles sets, Declan Harrison was victorious in two of his singles sets, and Brett Johnson won one singles set. Doubles players Max Alperstein and Casey Eich, Erik Garcia and Jimmy Johnson, and Drew Mings and Stephen Shedd each won two sets.

Fallbrook and Valley Center shared last year's Valley League championship. A 15-3 home victory March 23 against Escondido gave the Warriors league wins against both of the circuit newcomers.

"Our goal is to win a league title this year," Bill Lenaway said.