The 2021 Central Section Division III Champion boys tennis team had their first scrimmage match at Sierra Pacific High School Feb. 8 against Cesar Chavez. This match was a good introduction to their season because they played a team they’ve never played before. Early matches in the year are helpful for getting the boys into a competitive, ambitious mindset that will prepare them to be successful for their season. Sierra Pacific won against Cesar Chavez 9-0.
The boys are going to have multiple matches in rapid succession in the following weeks. There are five matches between Feb. 11-24 against Porterville, Exeter, Fowler, Central Valley Christian (CVC), and Selma. The first five matches will be held at Sierra Pacific. Sierra Pacific won against Porterville with another score of 9-0. The boys won against Exeter two days after 9-0.
Sierra Pacific head coach, Michael Miya, who has led the Golden Bears to five Central Section Championships, winning four of those championships in a row said, “I think we can make another deep run into playoffs this year.”
“We aren’t as deep as we were last year, but we still have a very strong team if we play our cards right.” Miya says “Our competition is going to be much more competitive than last year, but we’re also going to be a lot more competitive than last year.”
The Boys Tennis team had a rather small roster last year, much smaller than the previous years; but the roster this year has increased by more than 15 new players. I reached out to Jacob Bueno, who was a Valley Champion senior last year, he said “A bigger team creates a better environment for learning and feeling more comfortable.” “The teams when I was a sophomore and junior were a lot bigger and they had an energy that felt like a large family.”
Omar Lopez, a sophomore who is a first year player, is the No. 6 on varsity. Lopez says “I wish I was able to be on the team last year but I only found out about tennis through a friend this year.” Lopez wants to keep improving and hopefully get the chance at earning a Valley Championship ring with his team. Lopez says “I’m nervous for the season because I’m not really sure what to expect, but I’m still really excited to travel and spend time with my new friends.”
Lopez says that he wants to improve on his consistency since he’s on varsity and needs to step up to succeed. The freshmen have said that they are very excited to travel with all the upperclassmen and they look forward to getting food together after away games.
Sierra Pacific has two more upcoming matches after CVC against Selma and Sanger. Selma will be away on Feb. 24 and Sanger will also be away on Mar. 1. Miya says “These teams are going to be some of the harder teams we play this year, and they’re competitive, so we need to use these matches to prepare before Selma and Sanger.”
