Advance All-Star Eric Brinzenskiy leads Staten Island Academy into a new tennis season. – (Staten Island Advance photo by Hilton Flores)

Like a koala clinging to a eucalyptus tree, Staten Island Academy is holding tight to its slipping Staten Island High School Tennis League championship chances.

And the three-time defending kings may long for those halcyon days of the past four years when the 2011 season gets under way Monday as the Tigers put their 44-match winning streak out there at St. Joseph by-the-Sea.

SIA was thrown a curve in the preseason when league officials decided that the Tigers could not use elementary school students in their lineup.

Last year then seventh- grader Chris Auteri posted a 20-0 match record. He and seventh-grader Tyler Pasko have been ruled ineligible for SIHSTL matches but will play behind Advance All-Star Eric Brinzenskiy in the school’s ACIS matches.

To add to coach Brian Manske’s Maalox moments is the current wrist injury to Brinzenskiy which could throw his singles lineup — he has no returning doubles starters — into disarray.

Manske is more unsure than a teenager on his first date.

“I don’t know how we’ll stack up,” Manske said. “We lost nine seniors. I can’t make any predictions. We need time to establish ourselves. We could finish anywhere.”

If Brinzenskiy is ready to tango, newcomers Joseph D’Arco and Victor Barbosa will get crash courses in singles. If the Tiger junior is a no go, all bets are off and it’s wide open.

Once-upon-a-time champion (2006) Monsignor Farrell has the best shot at netting its 16th title since 1979. The Lions have a potent singles group in Ryan Amberger, Eddie Esposito, and Rob Pinto.

Sea will be stronger with the addition of Advance All-Star defensive end Nick Altieri, along with returnee Austin Kapetanakis and improved sophomores Anthony Sayed and Nick Doherty.

St. Peter’s Ryan Villarruel, a four-year starter at first singles, will be the next best to Brinzenskiy, and former Wagner College mentor Ed Perpetua will make his high school coaching debut with the inexperienced SIA Gold squad.

From highschoolsports.silive.com