Nobody likes a party crasher. He's that one guy that shows up uninvited, monopolizes the pool table and then leaves with somebody else's girlfriend. He is the one guy that nobody likes but everyone wants to be.
Well, as far as Region 8 tennis goes, it looks as if Juan Diego gets to be "that guy."
The Soaring Eagle, despite being new to 3A, could be the team to beat in a region that is not exactly famous for being a tennis mecca.
North Sanpete, the region champ in 2005, failed to crack the top six at the 3A state tournament.
Translation: The experienced Eagle won pole position in the title race just by showing up.
"We are excited about being in 3A, and we're planning on enjoying the challenge," says Juan Diego head coach Arthur Miyazaki. "One of our goals is to win the region, and I think we can do that."
Miyazaki is fortunate to have three talented and experienced singles players, all of whom should contend for the region title in his respective position. Senior Jamel Cash is a solid No. 1, and fellow upperclassmen Greg Peterson and Danny MacDonald will contribute from the second and third spots.
Senior Adam Hughes will form half of the first doubles team while six new players vie for the remaining spots. The combination of new talent and experience makes Juan Diego a formidable opponent for almost anyone. Moving up a division, however, is not likely to be all wine and roses for the Soaring Eagle. Their region may be a little softer, but 3A also happens to be home to some of the state's top programs, namely Park City.
"We're going to be playing against schools that have twice the enrollment that we do," says Miyazaki.
Another of the team's goals is to equal the amount of success that the women's team enjoyed in the fall. Juan Diego's girls took 3A by storm, ultimately finishing second at the state tournament.
"We took fourth at state last year and we've got five guys coming back," says Miyazaki. "But we are going to have to play very well to have the same kind of finish that the girls did."
At this point, nothing is set in stone. Any of the teams in Region 8 could, in theory, beat the party-crashing Soaring Eagle. But until someone does, the other teams would be wise to hide the bean dip and keep an eye on their girlfriends.
E-mail: tquinn@desnews.com