With the conclusion of spring break, Sedona tennis focused its attention on Page High School as the teams squared off on Thursday, March 21.

Results were not available by press time.

“The key for us against Page on Thursday is execution
and focus,” Sedona coach Phil Kovac said. “They have some pretty tough kids that are very skilled and disciplined.”

When these two teams last played, Sedona defeated Page 8-1 on April 10, 2018.

The Scorpions will look to avenge their last match when Sedona fell 7-2 to Northland Preparatory Academy on March 7.

Sedona senior Cody Miller joined the Scorpions earlier in March.

“He has practiced now for about a week and he has a good shot to play No. 5,” Kovac said. “Cody is not only about winning and losing. He is very competitive, but he has a nice attitudeand approach.”

“If I get Miller to play, we only lose a singles and a doubles match instead of three matches,”
Kovac said.

The Scorpions boys team only features five players, so Sedona will lose two matches automatically against Page.

“Cody will give us a plus because everyone thought we only had four players moving forward,” Kovac said.

Sedona’s boys team is 1-2 and currently 30th in the state.

“We have reached the point of the season where senioritis kicks in for some players,” Kovac said. “All my boys are seniors and most of them are worried about prom or graduation.”

As the Scorpions reach the brunt of their schedule, Kovac said he anticipates the intensity level increasing in practice.

“I am not going to tolerate any goofing around anymore, as we have reached the midway point this year,” Kovac said. “They are understanding that I do not care about how talented they are but how focused they are.”

“We have not had a lot of practice due to weather and spring break but I think we have a shot,” Kovac said.

On the girls’ side, the Scorpions are currently 1-2 and fourth in Division III Section VI.

“I have five girls who have never played tennis but are rapidly improving,” Kovac said. “Sophia Zimmerman is small but she is a solid player that has matched up against many tough opponents.”

The Scorpions girls’ are currently ranked 28th in the state.

In Sedona’s last match, the girls fell 6-3 to Northland Prep on March. 7.

Ariana Parra-Landeverde and Carolina Lopez each won their singles matches.

While the Scorpions are youthful, Kovac said he expects the girls to finish their regular season strong.

“I think we will finish in the top eight but anything can happen regarding injuries,”
Kovac said. “Kai and Sophia should qualify for state individually.”

“I should take a doubles and a singles team for the boys, and the girls have a great chance as well.”

Sedona will look to have both its doubles teams qualify for state this season.

“Our biggest issue is that we do not play bigger schools such as the top Phoenix teams,” Kovac said. “We are not in an area where tennis is popular for the youth.”

Kovac said he believes this issue pertains to a large portion of the local area.

“You take Page, Flagstaff and Kingman, they have a lot more kids than us to play each other,” Kovac said. “My kids do not have the same luxury, as they often have to hit against my older friends.”

While tennis is not as popular as football or baseball, Kovac tips his hat off to those who give tennis a shot.

“Tennis is a tough sport, so I tip my hat off to any player that comes out for it,” Kovac said.“In tennis, you will not qualify if you hit the ball 32 percent of the time but Mike Trout can earn $430 million to hit the ball .320.”

“Getting participants can be difficult because they believe tennis is too tough for them to improve at,” Kovac said.

Sedona’s next home match is Tuesday, March 26, when the Scorpions host the Valley Lutheran Flames.

The Scorpions’ senior night is Saturday, April 13, when Sedona plays host to Anthem Preparatory Academy.