Since the birth of Sage Hill School in 2000, Head Coach A.G. Longoria has served as the director of the Lightning tennis program, inspiring athletes to reach the height of their potential.  Earlier this month, Coach Longoria was appointed to a new role as the Tennis Tournament Director and Program Adviser.  To take his place, Mark Watkins will step in as the new Head Coach of the Lightning tennis teams.

During college, Coach Watkins played Division 1 tennis at Brigham Young University, and went on to coach tennis at the Sam Olsen Tennis Academy in Newport Beach.  Watkins has worked alongside Longoria as an assistant coach since 2014, and brings to the program many valuable years of tennis coaching experience.

“Sage Hill is very excited to have Coach Watkins step into this role and we strongly believe he will continue to elevate and enhance our tennis program,” said Megan Cid, athletics director.

“He is a Sage tennis parent, has worked extensively with juniors and is a powerful role model,” said Coach Longoria, expressing his confidence in Coach Watkins.  “The program should stay strong and even improve. Our dynamic new head coach is very knowledgeable, experienced, and well liked by the players and parents.”

Along his 16-year journey as Coach, Longoria has led the girls and boys varsity tennis teams to an impressive total of 10 Academy League Championships and two CIF-SS Championships.  In 2015, he was named Coach of the Year by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.  

In his new roles as Tournament Director and Program Adviser, Longoria will advise the coaches and run interscholastic tournaments at Sage’s new Tennis Center, scheduled to open this spring.  Longoria also will serve as the Director of the California Tennis Coaches Association, where he hopes to improve high school tennis, “not only for Sage, but [for] all California schools.”

Longoria will continue in his recovery from cancer with an operation to restore his hearing in the near future.  Though he looks forward to his new responsibilities, Longoria says he will miss his days coaching high school tennis.

“I will miss the challenge of taking on stronger, more experienced teams from bigger schools and putting our players in positions to win. I have been to the mountaintop; I will miss showing and teaching players how to get there.”