The Paly boys’ tennis team is reveling in its first California Classic Tournament title after claiming first place in a field of 108 teams at the California High School Boys’ Tennis Classic in Fresno this weekend.
Facing competition from the top teams in Northern California, the Vikings put on an impressive display of grit and determination to overcome daunting obstacles and win the tournament, 3-1.
Despite having suffered one loss to Saratoga High School, Paly was able to claim the tournament title due to game differential. This made the close matches that the Vikings won in group play essential components of their championship run.
As the top seed in a field of 108 teams, the Vikings received a first round bye before swamping Mission San Jose High School, 6-1. However, head coach Andy Harader saw greater competition barring Paly’s path to the trophy.
“Once we got to the tournament, we realized there were a lot of really tough teams,” Harader said. “We began to think that we might not be the top-seeded team after all.”
The Vikings moved on to a round robin where the best record between the final four teams, Saratoga, Monte Vista High School, Sacred Heart Preparatory, and Paly, won the title. The Vikings first faced a tremendous adversary in perennial contender, SHP. Having lost, 6-1, to SHP in non-league play last year, Paly was out for redemption and came up with a surprising 6-1 victory.
Senior Sam Wong, playing at No. 1 singles for Paly, had a jaw-dropping win, defeating Andrew Malozsack of SHP, ranked 29th in California, 3-6, 7-6(7-5), 11-9. Wong was down 0-5 in the second tiebreak and rallied back to 5-9. He then proceeded to win six straight points, staving off six match points, and the match.
“It was probably the best comeback ever,” Wong said. “Everyone was cheering for me, it was really cool, even people from other teams. I played all-out; the match was a symbol to prove that Paly was going to fight until the end.”
The Vikings’ next adversary was Monte Vista, whom they defeated, 5-2. Playing at No. 2 singles, sophomore Baramee Wongbanchai came through with a tremendous victory over Monte Vista’s Chris Kipouras, who is ranked 17th in the state, 7-5, 7-5. Down 0-5 in the second set, Wongbanchai recovered the set and reeled off 7 consecutive games to claim the victory. Freshman Nicky Hu saw his streak of 6-0, 6-0, wins end at five, but still defeated his opponent at No. 4 singles, 6-4, 6-1.
With the championship within their sights, Paly had one last match against league nemesis, Saratoga. The Vikings needed to win three out of the seven matches to claim the title. Unfortunately, due to prior commitments, Wong, a cornerstone of the lineup, had to miss the match, shaking up the entire Viking roster. Wongbanchai moved up to No. 1 singles while senior Dan Schwartz played No. 2, Hu moved up to No. 3 and senior John Mitchell played No. 4. This rearrangement also meant that the Vikings had to adjust the doubles lineup, sending the team into disarray at a particularly inopportune time.
At No. 2 doubles, senior Alan Chen and junior Drew Pearson battled past their Saratoga rivals, 3-6, 6-3, 10-6.
“We lost the first set but then we picked it up and found another gear,” Chen said “Everyone was really supportive and when we weren’t playing, we were cheering.”
The superb tennis and synergy between the duo was also evident to spectators of the high intensity match.
“Drew [Pearson] hit at least 10 aces and Alan [Chen] was an animal at the net,” Hu said. “He was poaching balls left to right.”
With every match vital to the team’s success, Mitchell, usually a doubles player, dug deep for a huge win over his opponent, 6-4, 7-5.
Inspired by the win, Schwartz played an incredible match to overcome Eric Gast, ranked 20th in California, 6-3, 7-5, whom he had never won a match against in three encounters.
“With Sam gone, I don’t think anyone was expecting me to win my match at No. 2,” Schwartz said. “Going in, I knew I’d have to play extraordinarily to beat Eric. I just blocked out the pressure and focused on playing smart.”
This tremendous performance clinched the win for the Vikings and gave them their first California Classic Tournament title in history.
Although the end result against Saratoga was a Viking loss, 3-4, the best record in the round robin decided the tournament and Paly, Monte Vista, and Saratoga had all gone 2-1. The winner was then decided through the number of games that each team had won against each other in the individual matches. Paly had won five against Monte Vista and three against Saratoga, resulting in eight victorious games. Saratoga had lost to Monte Vista, 4-3, while Monte Vista had alternately lost, 5-2, to Paly. This put Paly in first with eight games, Saratoga at seven, and Monte Vista at six, giving the Vikings their Cal Classic championship.
“We got second last year and runner-up the year before, so it feels really good to finally win,” Chen said.
This tremendous success so early in the season points in a favorable direction for Paly.
“The tournament gives you a good look at the team and I was really surprised at the tenacity of the boys, their willingness to fight, and I think we will have a great season,” Harader said.
The Vikings are scorching hot as they storm on to face the rest of their league season and look to bring home a Central Coast Section crown.
Next, the Vikings will face Lynbrook High School at 3:30 p.m. on March 10 at home.