Petaluma High School tennis coach Max Luedecke faces some daunting logistical problems. He must find a way to coach around 35 prospective players on both boys and girls teams on the four high school courts, coach both teams in matches that are played on the same days at different schools and arrange for transportation when too many young athletes in the same vehicle makes ride sharing tenuous.
However, these problems seem minor to the realization that both boys and girls teams will have a season, starting with the boys on their home courts and the girls at Sonoma Valley on Feb, 23.
Ordinarily, girls tennis is played in the fall and boys tennis in the spring. This year, both are in the revamped VVAL Season 1. The players could care less what season they are in, they just want to play.
“This is the first time we’ve been together outside of a Zoom setting in a year. It is invigorating and cool,” said boys No. 1 Paul Leoni.
“I am so excited to be back,” said girls No. 2 Olivia Peachy. “We haven’t had a lot of practice, but everyone is in the same boat. I’m just focused on playing other schools.”
While Petaluma has a multitude candidates – 17 for the girls team and 19 for the boys team starting this week – many are inexperienced, some are just learning the game.
Petaluma does have a potentially strong singles group with Amelia Grevin, Olivia and her twin sister Maddie Peachy and Meg Rawson. The Peachy sisters are seniors, while Grevin and Rawson are juniors.
Sophia Ryan and Sofia Nadler provide a veteran doubles duo.
After that, Luedecke has to try to sort things out with limited court space and multiple candidates.
Senior Leoni is No. 1 singles and is anticipating a strong season. He has been playing for just four years, but has refined his game by playing almost every day with his father, Peter. “We love the game and it is a great activity we can do together,” he said.
Many of the best players in the MVAL play year round on club teams, many with private coaches in the Napa Valley, but Leoni welcomes the challenge “Playing against good players will give me a good approach to the game,” he said. “It will make me more competitive.”
Behind Leoni are veterans Finzhin Morris, Bruno McDavrah and Quinn Winter.
“After that we have almost all new players,” Luedecke said. “Nobody is locked in.”
Although practice is just getting started, the coach has already developed a system, practicing in one hour shifts with each session including one group of girls and one of boys.
On match days, Luedecke will accompany whichever team is traveling, while his brother and assistant coach , Dave Luedecke, will coach the home team.
It’s not perfect, but for Trojan tennis players, it is great.