|
St. Francis Prep Volleys to Boys’, Girls’ Tennis Titles
BY BERNIE BEGLANE
Superstitious?
All coaches are in some way, shape or form … and John Brennan is no exception.
The veteran tennis coach of St. Francis Prep saw his girls team extend its undefeated streak to 128 matches.
All as a result of winning the Mayor’s Cup thanks to a 3-0 triumph over Midwood of Brooklyn in the rain-shortened finals at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Center.
And the Terriers blanked Iona Prep, New Rochelle, 5-0, to capture the boys’ title for the first time since 1996.
St. Francis Prep - Girls’ Mayor’s Cup Champs
Brennan, after completing his 16th season with the boys and eighth with the girls of the Franciscan Brothers school in Fresh Meadows, then became quite bold.
Finally realizing that it was superstitious to look ahead to the next season, John threw caution to the wind.
“Next year,” began Brennan, “I will have an extremely strong girls team.
“And with the boys definitely on the upswing, I can’t but help think they are going to be just as tough.
“They are blue collar players and that is good. They are not great, but there are seven to eight boys who give it their all and battle for every point.”
Probably the mainstay of the entire program – girls and boys – is Shinann Featherston, who played No. 1 singles as a junior and won her Mayor’s Cup match.
And if the Featherston name rings a bell, it should. Two older sisters, Eleanora and Martina, and standouts themselves with the Terriers, are now key players on scholarship at Fordham University.
Shinann currently is ranked No. 15 on a scholastic level in the entire country.
St. Francis Prep - Boys’ CHSAA Tennis Champs
Carolina Kolad, who was No. 2 singles as a sophomore, left school to attend a tennis academy in Florida.
Her future with St. Francis remains unclear.
If she does not return, Shraddha Prabhu, who played and won at No. 3 singles in the Mayor’s Cup, figures to get elevated.
The duo of Natalie Fouche and Nadel Jurlano, No. 1 for the Terriers in doubles, earned the third point in the Mayor’s Cup.
Above, at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, St. Francis Prep’s senior co-captains, Taylor Crabill and Justin Keenan-Miller display the school’s championship plaque.
Below, Shinann Featherston, a junior, displays the form that made her the numberone singles player for the female Terriers.
The girls’ team captured its ninth straight tennis title while the boys were celebrating their first Mayor’s Cup since 1996. Both teams are coached by veteran mentor John Brennan.
St. Francis captured the title for the ninth straight year. Cardoza of Bayside was the last school to beat the Terriers.
As for the boys, blanking Iona produced the first Mayor’s Cup since 1996.
Taylor Crabill, a senior, won No. 1 at singles, while Kevin Holze prevailed in the second spot.
As for the top doubles duo, St. Francis went with Justin Keenan-Miller and Petros Georgiou.
“We may have won all five points against Iona,” concluded Brennan, “but the match was a lot closer than the score indicates.”
|
