Juan Diego Catholic High School junior Keanau Lei Foc, who is from French Polynesia, Tahiti, played in the No. 1 singles spot for the Soaring Eagle boys tennis team this spring and never lost a match. He capped off his season with the 3A state championship, defeating Judge Memorial’s Diego Garrido 6-0, 6-1 in the finals. His individual finish also helped JDCHS take fifth place as a team.

“The first time I watched Keanau play I knew we had a champion,” said head coach Heather Foy. “He is an exceptional player, a powerhouse. I’m so proud of him. He is representing Juan Diego as a state champion with excellent sportsmanship.”

“It feels great to win state, especially first singles,” said Lei Foc. “It’s a big deal for me, and I’m really grateful for my first year here in the U.S. because I’m an exchange student. This is a huge improvement for me.”

At the state tournament—following a first-round bye—Lei Foc beat Manti’s Ashton Sorensen 6-0, 6-0 in the second round, Gunnison’s Emery Kjar 6-1, 6-0 in the quarterfinals and Rowland Hall’s Andrew Murphy 6-3, 6-1 in the semis. During his title run, he surrendered just six games in eight sets of play.

“Many of his opponents were in awe, not just of his power, precision and spin, but his footwork,” Foy said. “His serve is incredible and his shot selection and point construction are excellent.”

Lei Foc, the Region 15 champion, said he was prepared for his state run because of the practices and tournaments throughout the season. “That brought me experiences and prepared me for this championship,” he said. “I’m grateful for my coaches and teammates for this amazing season. They helped me improve a lot.”

Foy also noted that some of Lei Foc’s matches this spring “were over in 20 minutes.” “He is a humble and a gracious winner who has also helped many of his teammates improve,” she said. “On the court he is focused and serious, but off the court he is always smiling and laughing.”

Also at the state tourney, seniors Devan James/Hunter Chamberlain, playing at No. 1 doubles, defeated Benjamin Varga and Peter Francis, of Providence Hall, 6-2, 6-1 in the Round of 32. In the Round of 16, the duo beat Draper APA’s Eiden Kwak/Jackson Friedli 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals before losing to Rowland Hall’s Will Damico/Henry Damico 7-6 (7-2), 6-1.

“Hunter and Devan had a good run,” Foy said. “They lost to the No. 2 seed at state.”

Seniors Minyang Zhu/Dean Siegel also reached state this year at No. 2 doubles and earned a bye in the first round. In the Round of 16 they lost to Morgan’s Blake Hadley/Jackson Flitton 6-1, 6-2.

Lei Foc, the son of Stephane Lei Foc and Repeta Teriitaumihau, began playing tennis nine years ago in Tahiti and has enjoyed that it can be both an individual and a team sport. “I really enjoy the competitiveness that this sport brings during tournaments and games in general, and hearing your teammates cheering for you make this sport more beautiful for me,” Lei Foc said. “Tennis has taught me a lot of things like never give up even if you’re losing, always be respectful and humble on and off the court, be proud of yourself for every effort that you make, fight for every point, stand up after a loss and never take an opponent for granted.”

Lei Foc hopes to get a scholarship to play collegiately in Division I tennis and represent his country in the sport as well.

Also competing on the JDCHS tennis team this season were Holden Cranney, Tanishk Dhru, Jacob Espey, Becket Evans, Braxton Hopkins, Zijan Huang, Parker Kolkebeck, Tyler Lengerich, Jackson Macias, Mason Macias, Kian Mazur, Hugo Moreno, Milo Muhlestein, Maxwell Myers, Adam Pendleton, Jackson Ringhofer, Nicolas Salgado, William Siegel, Alexander Tavera, Ethan Vidal, Jayden Vidal and William “Kai” Yavelak.

“We had fun this season,” Foy said. “Everyone was committed coming to practice and working hard. Our captains Devan, Hunter and Minyang were great leaders and exceptional athletes. They recruited their friends, many who were athletes but not tennis players.”λ