After finishing 5-5 in the Mission Division and finishing in 3rd last season, the boys’ varsity tennis team have their eyes on winning everything. “This season we have something to prove… we didn’t get ranked, so a lot of the teams here think our players can’t play,” Coach Isaac Santa Cruz said.
This year the team consists of 14 players – seniors Angelo Rodriguez, Alexander Rodriguez, Jovany Serna, Aniken Deniz, Kike Jacinto, and Joshua Saldaña; juniors Kayden Posecion, Aaren Dimaano, Joseph Aguilar, Fernando Gonzales, Alexis Duenas, and Christopher Garcia; sophomore Joshua Ward; freshmen Alexander Juarez.
Santa Cruz decided to challenge his team with a tough preseason schedule. This year the team had a packed preseason as they played 5 matches and a jamboree with 3 other schools. The Trojans played Santa Clara, Cupertino, Piedmont Hills, Stevenson, and Carmel. Although they lost every match, it was a learning experience for the team. “We took them to San Jose to compete against teams that compete in State and CCS, and it was a learning experience,” Santa Cruz said.
One of the team captains, junior Joseph Aguilar can already see how the team will succeed this season. “I think what makes this year’s team special is the returning players already experiencing what tennis matches are like,” he said.
The other team captain, junior Kayden Posecion, has big goals for the team this season. “I expect us to win the league and go undefeated,” he said. With this big goal Posecion doesn’t want his team to think too much about it. “I think for us, we’re just trying to get game by game and one point at a time,” he added.
Coach Santa Cruz agrees with Posecion, as he also has a positive attitude towards league games. “We’ll be heading in the right direction and I feel like for the league our goal is to win against whoever’s in our way,” he said.
Through two league matches, the team was 1-1. “We’re heading in the right direction but we still have to take care of business,” Santa Cruz said. “I want to see the team stay locked in, keep grinding, and push each other to get better every match. If we stay focused and keep that energy, we’ll finish the season strong,” Angelo Rodriguez added.