By Pete Borello

Brian Garrow isn’t one to brag about his tennis accomplishments. But letting his St. Francis High boys tennis players know their new coach once played on the pro tour — competing in prestigious tournaments such as Wimbledon and the United States Open — has proven beneficial.

“The initial respect I got from the players is nice to have; I didn’t have to really work for it,” said Garrow, who played professionally from 1989 to 1992. “But with the group of players I have, I don’t think that would have been a problem, anyway.”

Garrow said the players have made his first year as St. Francis coach a smooth one.

“They’re a good group of guys who are pretty competitive, and they like to have fun, too,” the 1986 St. Francis graduate said. “It’s a good combination.”

And a winning one. The Lancers have locked up second place in the West Catholic Athletic League, running up a 12-2 record. Their only league losses: a pair of 7-0 decisions against perennial power Bellarmine, which went undefeated in the WCAL.

“They’re a little too tough for us this year,” Garrow admitted.

Few other teams fit in this category, however, as St. Francis entered this week with a stellar 16-5 overall mark.

The Lancers will surely earn an invitation to the Central Coast Section team playoffs, which start in two weeks, and likely nab a favorable seed.

Going deep into the playoffs, though, isn’t atop Garrow’s to-do list.

“I want to see them play hard during the playoffs,” he said of his players. “They’ve been giving 100 percent effort throughout the season, and I want that to continue.”

The squad is primarily made up of seniors, who hold down eight of the 14 roster spots. St. Francis also has some talented youngsters on board, with the five-player singles ladder featuring two freshmen and a sophomore.

Seniors Eric Chow and Mike Chin play No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively. Chow sports a team-best 10-5 record, earning the praise of his coach in the process.

“He’s a very strong, aggressive baseliner who’s very consistent,” Garrow said. “He has a lot of tools: big serve, big forehand and strong mind.”

Chan has “had an up-and-down season,” Garrow said, but is proving to be “a real good fighter.”

The coach has been amazed by the rapid development of No. 3 player Nick Marathe, a freshman who’s been playing tennis for only two years.

“He’s a very consistent baseliner,” Garrow said of Marathe, ranked 11th in Northern California in the USTA 14 division. “He’s going to be a very tough player in two years.”

The coach also had plenty of nice things to say about sophomore Kevin Conner at No. 4 singles.

“He’s our clutch player,” Garrow said. “He’s extremely competitive and you can count on him in just about every match.”

No. 5 player Calvin Leung, another freshman, should also “be very good in two years,” Garrow said.

The top doubles team comprises Mike Eliasnia and Vikram Arumilli, both seniors.

“They’ve done pretty well,” Garrow said. “They’ve really come through in a couple of matches we needed to win.”

The Lancers’ other tandem (the WCAL employs a five singles, two doubles format) includes junior A.J. McGillis and senior Mike Govaerts.

“They’ve really come together the last half of the season,” the coach said. “We’re really starting to count on them.”

St. Francis hosts the WCAL Tournament today and Thursday at Cuesta Park in Mountain View.