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CLAREMONT — JSerra senior Brady Schaefgen traces his friendship with sophomore teammate Riley Anson to their youth tennis days in South County.
“We used to play back in the 10s (age division),” Schaefgen recalled. “I was like 10 and he was like 8, so we became friends then. We played a lot.”
“I know he beat me,” Schaefgen added. “Always.”
Schaefgen and the nationally-ranked Anson reconnected at JSerra last school year, and the historic accomplishments on the court have followed.
On Thursday at the CIF-SS individual championships, they captured JSerra’s first title in the event by defeating Christian Stubbeman and Chase Klugo of Harvard-Westlake 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 in the doubles final at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center.
The Trinity League champions recovered from losing their first set of the tournament to dominate the third set.
On championship point, Anson cranked a backhand return of service across the net. Schaefgen put away the next Harvard-Westlake shot with an overhand smash at the net.
The childhood friends capped JSerra’s first individual title — in singles or doubles — with a chest bump and high-five.
“Our name is going to be etched for history,” Anson said. “I’m just glad that I did it with one of my best friends here.”
The doubles title highlighted another strong showing for the county at the individual finals. Woodbridge junior Brady Tallakson lost in the singles finals to impressive freshman Andrew Johnson of Palos Verdes 6-4, 6-3.
In notching a fifth straight doubles title for the county at the event, Schaefgen and Anson blended their skills on the court.
Headed to Notre Dame as a finance major, Schaefgen used his quickness to score points at the net. Anson, a blue-chip recruit by Tennis Recruiting Network, displayed powerful ground strokes, well-placed volleys and an improved serve.
In the semifinals, they beat defending champions David Tran and Trevor Nguyen of Marina 6-3, 7-5.
“They really complement each other and they have a lot of grit,” first-year JSerra coach Robert Chu said of his doubles pair. “They always really keep their composure.”
JSerra’s duo also credited the success to their friendship.
“It just helps that we’re also very comfortable with each other and we know how each other works,” said Anson, who advanced to the singles semifinals last season. “It’s a thing about chemistry.”
Schaefgen and Anson have been growing their bond.
Earlier this season, they helped JSerra claim a third consecutive Trinity League title and reach the CIF-SS Open and SoCal regional tournaments for the first time. The Lions also pushed their winning streak to 37 matches at one point.
Last year, the pair led JSerra to the Division 1 title, the first in school history.
“As we led together, we became even closer,” Schaefgen said. “We’re both confident in each other’s game. Going into that third set, I knew we were going to win.”
In the singles final, Tallakson opened a 3-0 lead in the first set before Johnson recovered. The top-ranked freshman in the nation by Tennis Recruiting Network, Johnson took his first lead at 5-4 with a break point in the opening set.
Tallakson, who is committed to Boise State, often matched Johnson with stellar volleys at the net but Johnson used his consistent return game to win more of the longer rallies.
“He’s a good player, makes you work for every point,” Tallakson said of Johnson, who joined 14-time Gland Slam champion Pete Sampras (1987) as singles champions from Palos Verdes. “The semi took a little toll on me that my body just gave out a little but (Johnson) played great. That was a tough one.”
In the semifinals, Tallakson defeated Jeremy Sieben of Flintridge Prep 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. The Pacific Coast League champion avenged a loss to Sieben in the quarterfinals of the Ojai tournament.
Woodbridge coach Ryan Sabado praised Johnson for being “tactical” but also noted Tallakson’s growth in leading the Warriors to the Division 1 title.
“Brady wears this W and reps it any chance he gets,” Sabado said. “He is a captain of our team. He is a leader.”
In the other singles semifinal, Johnson defeated Mater Dei sophomore Matteo Huarte — the runner-up at the Ojai tournament — 6-2, 6-0.
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