HIGH SCHOOLS:Repeat is sweet for Sea Kings’ tandem

After winning the CIF Southern Section Individual doubles title for the second straight year on Saturday, Dustin Hladek and Fabian Matthews thought about the future a little.

For Hladek, a senior, it was the last match of his high school career. After quitting tennis for several years, he came back last season and, with Matthews, won CIF twice and also won the Ojai Valley Tournament CIF division this season.

They became the first team since CdM’s Jim Curley and Jordan Otterbein, in 1975-76, to repeat as doubles champions.

“We were pretty confident,” Hladek said. “We expected no less. It was a good year. It’s a great way to end my high school career.”

Hladek is headed to Indiana University, but is undecided as to if he’ll play tennis for the Hoosiers. However, he said he told Matthews that he might try to walk on if they won CIF again.

CdM Coach Tim Mang said if Hladek decides to play in college, he should be very successful. Santa Barbara senior Chris Ho, who Hladek and Matthews beat in last year’s CIF final as well in Ojai, will be playing tennis at UCLA next season.

“If Ho got a full ride at UCLA and he’s a doubles specialist, Dustin can do it,” Mang said. “He can play with anybody in doubles.”

As for Matthews, he will likely play exclusively singles next year in his senior year.

But the additions to his game he has accomplished playing with Hladek should also help him in singles.

Matthews, like his partner, has gotten more aggressive at the net.

“Fabian’s even poaching now,” Mang said. “He says, ‘Hey, I can move my feet.’ That’s going to help his overall game.”

A PIRATE’S LIFE FOR THEM

Hladek and Matthews like to have fun. So instead of resting up before the final day of the tournament on Saturday, they did the opposite.

Matthews and Hladek went to see “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” the third entry in the Pirates’ movie series. Then, Matthews said they stayed up until about 3 a.m. watching another movie, “Beerfest.”

All this, with having to check in at Seal Beach eight hours later. Apparently, it’s good to still be in high school.

But Matthews didn’t exactly give a ringing endorsement of “Pirates.” Without giving anything away, he said he did notice the amount of betrayal that takes place in the plot.

Still, he said the flick was enjoyable, for different reasons.

“There actually wasn’t that much fighting in it,” Matthews said. “I was just staring at Keira Knightley the whole time.”

SUPPORT HELPS DUO

CdM had one of the largest contingencies at the final day of the tournament. Attending to root for Hladek and Matthews were teammates Daniel Vu, Josh Kim and Parker Rhodes.

“I was thinking of asking people to come out, but we didn’t know everyone would show up,” Matthews said. “That really helped us.”

Hladek agreed.

“That was really great to have that support,” he said.

Kim, meanwhile, wondered what might have been. On the court adjacent to Hladek and Matthews’ semifinal, Brentwood’s duo of Evan Paley and Jackson Isaacs were playing in the other semifinal.

Paley and Isaacs narrowly beat Kim and Rhodes in the first round, 7-5, 6-4.

“That’s us right there,” Kim could be heard wishing as he watched the semifinal action.

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or at [email protected].