The tennis courts at Cunningham Park are not what most people would consider hallowed ground. Consider the awkward concrete divider that lines the interior of the courts’ chain-link fence. Balls bounce over it and get stuck between concrete and fence, giving players an annoying pilgrimage as they fetch the balls before each serve. With nowhere else to loiter, unoccupied teammates and coaches sit on the divider, invariably getting in the way of play.
But for some, Cunningham Park is the Yankee Stadium of high school tennis courts: brash, recognizable, and a constant reminder of the home team’s superiority.
“Prep’s always a tough school to deal with when you come [here],” said Jeramy Solema, who played at first singles for Holy Cross on May 11. “I was a little nervous the whole match.”
Solema was speaking after a 6-1, 6-1 defeat to St. Francis Prep’s Alex Derienzo, whose Terriers call Cunningham Park home. They improved their record to 5-0 after thrashing the fledgling team from Flushing, and they look every bit the same squad that won consecutive CHSAA city titles in 2007 and 2008. At second singles, first doubles and second doubles, they didn’t concede a single game. Only at third singles, where they won in a decisive one-set tiebreak, did Holy Cross, thanks to Max Loguirato, produce a dent in Prep’s armor.
Derienzo, who is personally undefeated, is the star of the Terriers’ show. Against Solema, he unleashed forceful, spinning groundstrokes from both sides, hitting the corners with little difficulty and offering the left-hander very little in the way of weaknesses to aim for. Solema, for his part, kept his shots between the alleys and displayed an impressive tendency to make the last shot of long rallies. He said after the match that he learns from every loss; in this instance, the lesson was to keep his knees bent and his feet moving.
But he likely didn’t learn how to beat Derienzo, who has helped the Terriers achieve more in four years than they did in the 10 before he arrived.
“Alex is a real grinder,” said St. Francis Prep head coach John Brennan. “He gets the most out of what he has, and he’s gotten better every year.”
Chalk up 2009 as another winning chapter in the Terriers’ annals. Iona Prep came close to beating them earlier this season but fell by the score of 3-2; the Gaels will get another shot in next week’s city championship playoffs. Prep had another brush with adversity when swine flu and rain postponements produced a two-week scheduling hole in midseason; the win over Holy Cross marks part of a succession of make-up matches.
“Thankfully, we’ve had enough time to get ready [for the city playoffs],” Brennan said.
