Stephens Helps Propel Tam to MCAL Tennis Title

tennis coach figured two things had to happen if his team was going to upset Redwood for the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) team championship Thursday.

First off, the Red-tailed Hawks had to capture the same three points they earned when the teams met on March 17, a match won 6-3 by Redwood en route to its MCAL regular-season title.

And second, they had to figure out a way to reverse two of the six losses.

Lo and behold, that’s exactly what happened Thursday at Redwood, with the Hawks earning key wins at fifth singles and third doubles while shocking the Giants 5-4 to earn the MCAL’s automatic berth in the North Coast Section Championships.

“It was really a team thing,” Washauer gushed of the Hawks’ first MCAL title since 2007.

“(Redwood) won (first and second) singles last time. All the other matches were very close and I really thought they all were in play this time around.

“That’s the great thing about this rivalry. With the exception of (first) doubles, every match was very, very close. I really thought it would be that way, and that every point would be precious.”

Of course, it helps to have a secret weapon on your side, and in the end, that might have spelled the difference between champion and runner-up for the Hawks.

Henry Stephens, a former standout player who wasn’t even supposed to go to school at Tam this year, played the role of Willis Reed in this one – limping onto the court and aiding in an exceptionally tight, 4-6, 6-4, 11-9 win with Henrick Neuwirth at third doubles.

Stephens, a junior, began the school year at the prestigious Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy in Barcelona. It was a year-long commitment.

But he hurt his hip in the fall and had surgery, which prompted him to drop out of the academy and re-enroll at Tam for the second semester.

Clearly not fully recovered from the wear-and-tear of the strenuous academy, Stephens lost his spot in the Tam singles lineup, and even struggled to do well in doubles. Early in April, it was determined he would need a second surgery – this one on the other hip.

His season was presumed over. Alas, it wasn't.

Just three weeks later, Stephens was cleared to play Wednesday and, with his parents’ permission, was back in the lineup for Thursday’s showdown. Washauer threw him onto the third doubles team, and the rest is history.

“Just being able to play was great for team spirit,” the coach assured. “I told his mother, ‘Look, if he can play, that’s great. But I’m not putting any pressure on this. His health is the No. 1 thing.’

“I knew how huge this would be, but no way I would play him if he wasn’t ready. Doubles isn’t as demanding as singles, and he played great.”

And so did , who also required a super-tiebreaker to outlast his Redwood opponent at fifth singles, 5-7, 6-1, 10-5.

, at third singles, and the doubles teams of Theo Gough-Gabe Sandrolini and - also contributed points to Tam’s winning total.

“It was one of the things we’ve been shooting for this year. We’ve worked very hard to get there,” Washauer claimed.

“The guys played with astonishing heart. They really earned it. We were behind in five of the first six matches, and came back to win three of them. They showed tremendous grit, tremendous heart, tremendous focus.”

Tam’s record improved to 21-4.