Derek Tilley of Pusch Ridge Christian Academy is completely focused on returning a shot during a match with St. Gregory's Tyler McCusker at the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador.

Jim Davis / Arizona Daily Star

More Photos (1):

Other articles by Brian J. Pedersen:

Ground under road, park projects rich in history Kids' desert tips for newcomers Candidate charges conflict of interest Cops catch speeders in Thornydale work zone Ex-assistant chief's hearing to start Only Democratic candidates show up at District 25 debate Foothills swath chilly to annexing Luxury living takes long-range planning Paving of critical route nearly done Catalina Foothills annexation proposal likely over before it starts

Health Care
Rio Salado College
PA's/Online Instructors Education
Assessment Technology, Inc
Social Studies Content Writer General
CORT
WAREHOUSE/DRIVER Construction
Komatsu Equipment Co
Mechanic General
CORT
Warehouse Supervisor

A mass of more than 50 teenagers holding racquets and tennis balls assembled on one of the courts at the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf and Tennis Resort last week.

Some sort of clinic? Maybe an elite junior event?

Nope, just your everyday, run-of-the-mill match between a pair of tiny local private schools March 29.

Despite enrollments that, if combined, would still be smaller than the size of one grade at some larger area high schools, Pusch Ridge Christian Academy and St. Gregory College Preparatory School find themselves once again able to field competitive boys and girls tennis programs this season.

"We always get a high turnout," St. Gregory coach Mark Swenson said. "I think they enjoy it here. Many of our kids come in (to the school) with some sort of tennis background."

St. Gregory has had a strong tennis program going back more than 20 years — the boys team has won eight Class 1A/2A state titles since 1987 and produced nine individual state singles champions, while the girls team won three consecutive championships from 1999-2001. But the emergence of Pusch Ridge the past few seasons has created a strong rivalry between the schools on the hardcourt.

Pusch Ridge's girls improved to 8-1 this season with their 7-2 victory over St. Gregory, while the Pusch Ridge boys moved to 7-2 overall after winning their match against the Hawks, 8-1.

Those records are a far cry from the ones Pusch Ridge sported in 2004 when David Towne started the program. Towne, who coached boys tennis at Flowing Wells from 1991 to 2001, said his love of the sport prompted him to see what kind of interest there might be at Pusch Ridge.

The first year's result: the boys went 5-9, while the girls lost all 14 matches.

"That first year was kind of rough," Towne recalls. "For the girls, we just tried to field a team."

But one year later, thanks to burgeoning interest — not to mention the arrival of Towne's daughter, Mya, at the school, the Pusch Ridge girls finished the 2005 season with a 13-2 record. The boys had the same mark, and in 2006 the squads combined to go 29-3.

Mya Towne, now a junior, said the key to Pusch Ridge's success lies not in the talent of its players.

"There are so many people who've tried it and done well, and that's made more people want to try it," said Mya, 17, who is the Lions' No. 1 singles player. "And since we're such a small school, everyone is very close, like a family. I think bigger schools are great for people to get good competition, but at a smaller school you also get to establish good relationships. You'll remember the relationships more than your record."

Most of Pusch Ridge's players are ones who either only played tennis casually or who had never picked up a racket before that first practice, David Towne said. Therein lies the enjoyment of teaching the sport.

"When I started playing in middle school, I was really bad," said Pusch Ridge junior Derek Tilley, 17, who is the No. 1 singles player on the boys team. "Over the years I just grew to understand the game better."

Added first-year Pusch Ridge player Kim Revie, a 15-year-old sophomore: "We're very competitive, but it's a relaxed environment. Coach Towne is always encouraging us to try our hardest. Our motto is, the opposite of winning is not playing."

The same goes at St. Gregory, where though the overall experience of its players may be higher, the relaxed atmosphere remains the same.

"My philosophy is to give everyone a good experience," Swenson said. "I would never get down on anyone. I would like them to feel good about what they've accomplished, even if it's in a loss."

That comfortable situation was why Rachel Rosenberg, St. Gregory's No. 1 girls singles player, opted to skip out on a portion of her school's sophomore retreat to play in the match against Pusch Ridge.

"We just have so much fun," said Rosenberg, 16. "If the attitude is good, the wins will come."

Though the majority of the opponents Pusch Ridge and St. Gregory face are 1A and 2A schools with similar enrollments, both Swenson and David Towne have tried their best to beef up the schedule with larger area schools.

Pusch Ridge played — and beat — Class 4A-I Pueblo last week, while St. Gregory has battled Catalina, Palo Verde, Mountain View and Tucson High.

"That's probably my favorite part," said senior Tyler McCusker, 18, the No. 1 boys singles player for St. Gregory . "We like getting a chance to play those bigger schools so we can see how we compete with them."