A Banner Season for Campbell Hall in Tennis

The new kids on the tennis court, the Campbell Hall High Vikings, have already made a statement with victories over four ranked teams.

After an 11-7 victory over Brentwood, they’ll have to make room for a Delphic League title banner, which they clinched Tuesday at Cheviot Hills.

The Vikings became the first boys’ team in school history to win a Delphic League tennis title by completing a season sweep of the Eagles, perennial league powers.

Campbell Hall (16-0, 7-0 in league play) put the victory away in doubles, where they won eight of nine matches.

The Vikings dealt a big blow to the Eagles (6-8, 4-2), ranked ninth in Division IV, when No. 2 tandem Mike Presto and Nick Nadjarian beat Brentwood’s No. 1 duo of Joey Ryan and Eric Hwang, 6-3.

“We didn’t want that banner to say co-champions,” Presto said. “We wanted it all for ourselves.”

The Vikings’ No. 1 team of Josh Glass and James Chun went 3-0 on and moved to 44-1 on the season.

“Our doubles saved the day for us,” said Campbell Hall Coach Steve Kuechel, who has watched Brentwood win the league title in each of his 13 previous seasons. “This is the biggest win in our program.”

Danny Nagler of Brentwood outlasted Ryan King, 7-6 (7-4), at No. 3 singles and pulled the Eagles into a 3-3 tie.

But after that, Campbell Hall, ranked third in Division IV, won the pivotal matches.

Adam Zunder, at No. 1 singles for the Vikings, rallied from a 5-4 deficit by holding serve, breaking serve and holding again for a 7-5 victory over Brentwood’s No. 2 player, Aaron Ungerleider.

The Vikings dedicated the season to assistant coach Ben Harvey’s dad, Ron, who died of a heart attack last May.

Neither team has a senior, so the newly created rivalry will resume next season. Or it may resurface sooner if the teams meet again in the playoffs, which begin May 20.