Coronado, Palo Verde celebrate 5A golf, tennis titles
The summer for the Coronado girls golf program was different because its home course was under renovation.
While coach Joe Sawaia said the team didn’t do as much as it would normally do during that time, the reigning state champion Cougars had no problems finding their stride at the right time.
They posted a two-day team total of 11-under 565 at Toiyabe Golf Club in Washoe Valley in October to win their sixth state title. Their team score is a state tournament record.
“When it came time to play, they were ready to go,” Sawaia said. “It’s just a credit to their work ethic and the level they’re playing at.”
Coronado won by 34 strokes over second place Bishop Gorman (599). The Cougars swept the top three spots in the individual race, with Brynn Kort winning by 10 shots with a state tournament record score of 12-under 132.
“It really wasn’t a surprise to see how well they played,” Sawaia said.
In Class 4A, Shadow Ridge took the state title with a two-day total of 158-over 730, which was 139 strokes better than second-place Foothill at Las Vegas National and Painted Desert golf clubs. Holly Rodriguez from Shadow Ridge won the individual state championship by one stroke at 17-over 160.
Palo Verde sweeps tennis titles
The Palo Verde boys tennis team entered this season looking to avenge its loss in last year’s Class 5A state championship and did just that.
Palo Verde swept the 5A boys and girls team titles last weekend at Bishop Manogue in Reno. The boys took down Coronado 12-6, and the top-seeded girls put away Coronado 15-3.
“The boys wanted it really bad this year. You could see it in their eyes,” Palo Verde coach Tyler Marchant said. “They wanted to go out and get that title. They went out and worked really hard all season long.”
Mark Lapko of Bishop Gorman won the boys singles championship, and Faith Lutheran’s Sam Fouse and Nolan Dubay took home the boys doubles title.
Palo Verde swept both girls’ individual championships. Caroline Lemcke won the singles title, and Campbell Ricci and Mandalay LaBarre won the doubles title.
“We’ve been strong for a long time,” Marchant said of the girls program. “We just keep adding new players every year who we can really build our program around to make us even stronger.”
In Class 4A, Shadow Ridge swept the boys and girls team championships at Basic. The Shadow Ridge boys edged out Silverado 10-8, and the girls defeated Spring Valley 11-7.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.
