BOYS’ TENNIS SPORTS SHORTS 2010–
(Latest boys’ tennis shorts will be at the top of the section. Scroll down to check out past results. Tournament games do not count toward win/loss record. Visit the Sports Section for boys’ tennis features.)

For the 2010 schedule or standings and stats, click on highschoolsports.net. FC is 9-5 overall and 8-5 in the West Sequoia League as of May 15.

BOYS’ TENNIS 2010

SEASON END

EAGLES TOP TWO DEFEATED IN THE CENTRAL SECTION INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS–MAY 15
FC’s No.1 Brady Lee and No. 2 Zack Jackson traveled to Bakersfield to take on the top players from the valley, May 15.

Lee faced senior Brandon Crisp from Independence High school. The match was strenuous and went over two hours. Crisp eventually defeated Lee 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

Jackson played against senior Mark Dooly from Centennial High school. Like Lee’s match, it went three sets. Dooley defeated Jackson 6-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Coach Rob Foshee came along to coach and encourage his two players. He was proud of their effort and overall game-play.

“Both of our players were playing seniors from division 1 and 2 schools,” Foshee said. We just wanted to have a good showing but both guys far exceeded are expectations and took their matches to three sets. They each had a chance to win and it gave them great practice for what will come next year.”

LIBERTY DEFEATS EAGLES IN PLAYOFFS–May 13
FC traveled to Madera Ranchos to play the Liberty Hawks, May 13. Although this marks the end of the Eagles journey, they came away in high spirits.

The Eagles No. 1 Brady Lee, ’12, was defeated by senior Vitor Homse 6-0, 6-0.

“I played against a Brazilian foreign exchange student who was the best player I have ever faced,” Lee said. “He would whip the ball past me so fast I didn’t have a chance to get to it. At one point I lobbed the ball over his head and he ran to get it. Then to my surprise he hit the ball back to me between his legs! Even though it went out I was amazed that he even tried something so daring.”

Although the loss ends the Eagles season coach Rob Foshee felt good about the overall match.

“I was excited,” Foshee said. “Liberty went undefeated in their league. We got close to our goal of winning a certain amount of singles and doubles games that match. I think a 6-3 turn out is pretty good.”

Lee and junior Zach Jackson will next play in Bakersfield, May 15.

FC BATTLES HARD AT WEST SEQUOIA LEAGUE PLAYOFFS–May 8
The Eagles traveled to Fresno City College for the West Sequoia League playoffs Saturday May 8. The Eagles brought along two singles players and two doubles teams. Brady Lee, ’12, and Zack Jackson, ’11, played singles for FC. Juniors Seth Ramirez and Will Gonzales played doubles along with freshmen John Beck and Jordan Boudreau.

The highlight of the day was when Lee and Jackson played against each other to earn third place. It was teammate against teammate as they played best of two sets. Lee ended up winning in a 7-4 tie breaker.

“It was weird competing against my own teammate,” Lee said. “I have played Zack a number of times and the outcome has varied each time. I guess we were both used to each others style of play so it was even. I was pretty amazed that I ended up winning.”

Coach Rob Foshee thought the eagles fought hard and was proud that two of his players advanced to area.

“I thought we battled hard and played some of our best tennis that day,” Foshee said. “Brady Lee and Zack Jackson went on to qualify to individual area so we did very well.”

The Eagles are now in playoffs and will next face Liberty, May 13.

EAGLES DEFEAT DOS PALOS AND CLINCH NO. 3 SEED–May 5
FC’s calculated determination resulted in an 8-1 win against the Broncos. This victory proved crucial for how the Eagles would be seeded in playoffs. This win translated into a No. 3 seed for the Eagles, May 5.

Coach Rob Foshee hopes his team brings their best game to the upcoming league tournament.

“It was a good end of the season and it will prepare us for playoffs,” Foshee said. “Each match we play gets a little tougher and tougher. I think a lot of the teams we play in playoffs will be scared of us so hopefully we can make it a reality in how we play.”

The Eagles No. 4 Will Gonzales, 11′, won a 7-5 tie breaker on his birthday. Gonzales is looking forward to the upcoming league tournament.

“I feel pretty good because I won in a tie breaker and it’s my birthday,” Gonzales said. “I think the tournament will be fun because I get to play with Seth [Ramirez], ’11, and it will be a new experience. I’ve played with him only a little before, so playing in the tournament with him will be fun.”

The Broncos No. 3 Omar Ramirez, ’12, played his last game of the year to junior Seth Ramirez. Seth defeated Omar in a close match of 8-3.

“I was going up to the net too much and made a lot of mistakes up there,” Omar said. “Other than that I thought I did fairly well.”

The Eagles will next travel to Fresno City College for tournament play, May 8.

EAGLES SOAR BY RED CATS 7-2–May 4
FC defeated Fowler in their second to last league game of the season, April 4. After a previous tough week of losses, the Eagles came to win. Now FC looks ahead to their final match against Dos Palos, April 5. A win against the Broncos will be vital for the Eagles to grab a good seed in playoffs.

Fowlers No.1 senior Zachary Gavroian played his last singles match of his high school career against sophomore Brady Lee. Gavrorian had a great time despite Lee’s 8-2 win.

“I had some minor mistakes… Okay I had some really major mistakes,” Gavrorian said. “I liked the way I played because last time I played [Lee] It was 8-0 but today I won two games. I had fun because thats what we try to do at Fowler High. Were lacking on the skills so we go for the fun.”

The Eagles No. 5 freshman John Beck used consistency to oust his opponent 8-2.

“I played with consistency,” Beck said. “My strategy was to just get the ball back and let him hit it out.”

Coach Rob Foshee is proud of how his team rebounded from last weeks adversity.

“I though we did well especially considering we had a rough week last week,” Foshee said. “We bounced back and now were getting refocused for Dos Palos.”

The Eagles will next host Dos Palos, May 5.

EAGLES LOSE TOUGH MATCH TO CARUTHERS–April 29
Fc’s hopes for second place in league were broken by the Blue Raiders. Windy conditions combined with the athletic Caruthers team resulted in a 7-2 loss. The Eagles look to push past this disappointment as they finish out the last week of league games.

Fc’s third doubles players Jordan Boudreau, ’13, and Eric Johnson, ’10, expected a win after seeing their opponents warm up.

“I didn’t feel too good about today’s game,” Boudreau said. “I could have done a better job keeping my feet moving and being in better position. When we warmed up I think they [Caruthers] were messing up on purpose. They could not keep a ball in play. One guy hit the ball over the fence. We thought they were going to be really easy but then they won 8-2.”

Caruthers No. 3 senior Mario Alverado fell short against junior Seth Ramierz 8-3. The wind played a definite factor in their match.

“I had a couple shots that were off, Alvarado said. “It was pretty windy out here so it brought the ball out a couple times but you just got to deal with it. My serve was kind of off today so I should probably practice that a little more. My backhands and forehands were pretty decent but my serves needs improvement.”

Coach Rob Foshee looks to put this match in the past and focus on the upcoming games.

“Some matches you just want to put behind you and get to the next one,” Foshee said. “This was one of those matches, and it’s good were playing tomorrow. It’s kind of a let down when you played a a big match the day before, but we will put this behind us and move on.”

The Eagles will next travel to Coast Union, April 30.

EAGLES LOSE CLOSE MATCH TO FIREBAUGH–April 27
FC showed great improvement in their match against Firebaugh. The Eagles gave themselves a shot to win but the leagues undefeated team squeezed out the victory, April 27.

The Eagles No. 1 singles player Brady Lee, ’12, defeated the league’s undefeated No. 1 senior Everado Castillo. The 8-4 victory proved a great accomplishment for Lee.

“The first time I played Everado he beat me 8-1,” Lee said. “He’s so consistent and fundamentally sound. Our coach told us that the pressure was on Firebaugh to win. I played conservative and made my opponent make all the mistakes. When I saw that I was beating him I kept up the safe play and it ended up very rewarding.”

Firebuagh’s No. 4 singles player, Aaron Delgado, ’11, was inches away from a win until Will Gonzales, ’11, came back five games and won in a tie breaker, 7-5.

“My singles match felt good,” Delgado said. “I was hitting the ball good and placing it. I was up 7-4 and out of nowhere something happened. It went all down the drain and he [Gonzales] came back. All the games went to deuce and I lost in the tiebreaker 7-5.

Coach Rob Foshee was proud of how the team put themselves in a position to win.

“I thought we stuck to the game-plan putting ourselves in a position to win against the first place the team,” Foshee said. “Some of the breaks didn’t work out but I was proud on how hard we fought. It was good learning things from the match. It would be nice to play them in the playoffs because it might have a different outcome.”

The Eagles will next host Caruthers, April 29.

EAGLES DEFEAT RIVERDALE COWBOYS 9-0–April 26
The Eagles captured their second blow out win following the Fowler match two weeks ago. Due to rained out games the previous week, FC will play three more games this week. This win against Riverdale gives momentum to the steadfast Eagles, April 26.

Head coach Rob Foshee appreciates his teams willingness to stay focused in the matches despite the difference in competition.

“I thought they got a lot of work in which needed to get done,” Foshee said. They worked on different aspects of the game like their first serve, back hand or approaching the net. I thought they could have easily not focused but everyone did what they were supposed to do.”

The Cowboy’s No. 1 singles player senior Brandon Newman sees a couple of improvements he could make before his next match. Newman lost 2-8 lost to Brady Lee, ’12.

“I don’t prepare for shots like I used to when I was a freshman or a sophomore,” Newman said. “A lot of the balls I called in were actually out, I like to play. I also changed up my serve two games in which really helped.”

Senior Eric Johnson played his second match of the season with doubles partner Jordan Boudreau, ’13. They were moved up to No.2 doubles for the day and won 8-2

“I feel like I did a really good job,” Johnson said. “I started getting more aggressive serves and I just need to start practicing my back hand. All in all I feel pretty good; I’m undefeated.”

The Eagles will next travel to Riverdale, April 26.

EAGLES BLOW OUT FOLWER 9-0–April 14
After tacking on a loss to Caruthers, 5-4, the Eagles put it aside and overpowered the Redcats, 9-0, for their second win in league, April 14.

Previously, FC was forced to forfeit one game each match due to not having enough players. Senior Eric Johnson came through in the clutch by playing with the Eagles despite hardly any past experience. Johnson contributed to the win by winning his third doubles match with teammate Jordan Boudreau, ’13.

Coach Robert Foshee hopes Johnson stays with the team so forfeited games will be a thing of the past.

“I thought everyone got better and played their own game,” Foshee said. “They could have thought they could have beaten their opponents really fast but they stuck with the game plan. It was nice having nine guys out and hopefully we can carry over with nine when we start the second part of league. With nine players we won’t have to forfeit a point every league game, so I am really hopeful it carries over.”

Fowler’s No. 6 Taran Pannu, ’11 wishes to play with greater consistency after losing to sophomore Jacob Williams.

“I did pretty good, but not at the very end where I messed up,” Pannu said. “I need to work on playing consistent because I have a lot of ups and downs. I’m not perfect yet.”

FC’s No. 2 player Zack Jackson, ’11, earned himself an 8-3 win through consistent and dynamic play.

“My opponent had just broken the strings on his racket or he might have played better,” Jackson said. “I played laid back and consistent, and overall it was a good match.”

The Eagles will next host Riverdale, April 26.

CARUTHERS DEFEAT THE EAGLES BY ONE GAME–April 13
The Eagles knew the Blue Raiders would put up a fight from the beginning and fight they did, April 13.

The Eagles won the battle on the singles side winning the top four singles matches. However, the match was lost on the doubles side as Caruthers overtook FC’s No.1 and 2 doubles teams. In the end, the Blue Raiders came out on top 5-4.

Head coach Robert Foshee realizes the value of lessons learned even in a loss. Despite losing by one game, Foshee reflects on the positive aspects of the matches.

“I think we learned some good lessons to carry over,” Foshee said. “When your in league and playing against a tough opponent who you have beat you can’t let it slip away.”

“(Sophomore) Brady Lee did an awesome job on his tie breaker fighting back,” Foshee said. “(Junior) Zach Jackson dominated on his match and (junior) Will Gonzalez and (junior) Seth Ramirez did really well. All of our top four singles played well.”

Caruthers No. 6 Antonio Razon, ’11, went back to his fundamental tennis roots to barely pull out an 8-6 victory over freshman John Beck.

“In my first match I wasn’t doing all the fundamentals the way I was taught,” Razon said. “He [Beck] was beginning to beat me. Then I came back to the basic fundamentals I taught and won.”

Eagles’ No. 7 Jordan Boudreau, 13, earned a 8-3 win against his opponent through consistent play and well placed shots.

“I felt I did really good today because I hit a lot of my placement shots,” Boudreau said. “I really didn’t mess up on a lot of shots and can count on my fingers the shots I did mess up on. I improved by not hitting it into the net that much and overall I felt really good with my shots.”

The Eagles will next host Fowler, April 15.

FIREBAUGH OUSTS EAGLES IN TOUGH MATCH–April 8
For the second time, FC found themselves in a heated match, but failed to emerge with a win against the undefeated Firebaugh Eagles. Also, FC lacked one player once more which resulted in a forfeited game. Firebaugh took the win 8-1, April 8.

Coach Rob Foshee viewed the match as a good way to determine what areas the team requires work in.

“I thought it was a good match to challenge and show us what we need to improve on,” Foshee said. “They were a quality team who had only lost one match all year. They have already beaten other good teams in our league. It was a pretty good gauge to see what we need to improve on for the next time we face Firebaugh.”

Firebaugh’s No. 1 Everado Castillo, ’10, hopes to win league as it is his senior year. So far this year Castillo has defeated all his league opponents.

“I felt pretty good about my game,” Castillo said. My serves were going in and my forehand was good. My first goal is to become the no.1 player in league. Then as a team I want to get first in league. This is my last year at playing on the team so I want to win badly.”

No. 2 junior Seth Ramirez, was the only Eagle to win a match for his team and says the victory increased his confidence.

“I played hard and did my best to not lose my head in the game,” Ramirez said. “I tried to play a match where I was in control and Firebaugh is a really good team, so if I was able to beat someone from Firebaugh I can probably beat other players from our league.”

The Eagles will next face Caruthers on the road, April 13.

EAGLES DEFEAT DOS PALOS DESPITE ONE LESS PLAYER–APRIL 6
FC traveled to the home of the Dos Palos Broncos coming off of spring break and found themselves short a player, resulting in a forfeited game. However, despite low spirits before the matches began, the Eagles managed to pull out a 5-4 win, April 6.

Pleased with the determination of his team, head coach Robert Foshee, says the overall fight the Eagles displayed was outstanding.

“Dos Palos is a very good team,” Foshee said. “Each match was about even. I think so far each match, we’ve had to overcome tie breakers or at least get used them. Maybe the Lord’s getting us ready for playoffs and tight matches where we have to play like that. It’s neat because we are playing hard and not giving up.”

The Broncos No. 1 singles and doubles player Luis Valencia, ’11, knows his work is cut out for him before he faces the Eagles again.

“I need to work on everything,” Valencia said. “I kept on making the same mistakes of hitting the ball into the net or out of play. We didn’t have all our players today. Our No. 4 wasn’t here and another player quit today. I’m looking forward to next time though.”

No. 1 doubles partners Brady Lee, ’12, and Will Gonzales, ’11, defeated their opponents in a tie breaker, 7-7 and 7-0. Gonzales finished off the hard fought match with a blazing ace serve.

“I couldn’t believe what just happened,” Gonzales said. “That was the first time I’ve ever ended a game with an ace. It made me feel more confident about my first serve and hopefully I can get some more aces.”

Foshee broke into applause after witnessing Gonzales’ ace to win the match.

“It was awesome because we were talking about taking some power off his first serve and he decided to go for it that time,” Foshee said. “It not only was an ace, but an ace to win the tie breaker. It’s one of those serves you dream about.”

The Eagles will next host Firebaugh, April 8.

EAGLES DOMINATE FIRST LEAGUE GAME VS. RIVERDALE–MARCH 25
FC opened up their season against the Riverdale Cowboys
and moved through the match with ease. Despite windy conditions, the Eagles managed to overtake the Cowboys winning 7-1, March 25.

First time player Jacob Williams, ’12, stepped up for the Eagles with his first singles victory, 8-1. Williams originally ranked No. 6 moved up a position to No. 5 due to a player not showing up.

“I played a higher ranked player because we were missing John [Beck] ’13,” Williams said. “It feels really good to win my first league match. I have to admit the guy I played against played really well, but I was just more consistent.”

Sophomore Jesus Tafolla of Riverdale was affected by the windy conditions and found one of his best opponents to be junior Seth Ramirez.

“I wish I could of done better,” Tafolla said. “The wind played a big part of it because the ball kept on swerving away. I need to hit my first serve harder. Seth [Ramirez] hit a good first serve and could hit a hard back hand with two hands.”

Head coach Robert Foshee recognized a pivotal game for No. 4 singles Junior Will Gonzalez as he came back and won 7-5 in a tie breaker. Gonzalez changed his aggressive style to a more conservative type of play in order to get back in the game.

“Will showed good dedication to the team by changing his tactics in order to get the clinching point,” Foshee said.

The Eagles will next host Dos Palos, April 6.

FC PULLS OUT 5-4 WIN OVER COAST UNION–MARCH 20
Despite having to forfeit their No. 6 singles due to lack of players, the Eagles won 5-4 against Coast Union, March 20.

Sophomore No. 1 Brady Lee won his first match in tie-breaker, 8-7 (7-5). Loosing at the start of the tie-breaker he took his coach’s encouraging words and used them to comeback and win.

“The story of the match was Brady Lee,” Coach Robert Foshee said. “Using his magician skills, Brady fought back from being down love-3 to winning in the tie-breaker. When Brady was losing early on in the match we talked, and I told him this was going to be a marathon, and not a sprint. He took that to heart, and fought his way to victory.”

Lee says he changed to an offensive mind set instead of being tentative which cost him in previous games.

“It got to the point where if my opponent got one more point he would win the match,” Lee said. “I changed to a more aggressive style of play and finally tied the score and we went into a nerve-wracking tie breaker. Winning the tie breaker was awesome because all the hard work I put in coming back paid off in the end.”

In singles, juniors Zach Jackson, No. 2, and Seth Ramirez, No. 3, won both of their matches 8-2.

“Zach and Seth played their first match in FC uniforms and dominated,” Foshee said.

Freshman singles player John Beck also chipped in a win as No. 5, 8-3. The final win to break the tie between the Eagles and Coast Union came from No. 2 doubles players Jackson and Ramirez.

“I am so excited for this tennis season,” Jordan Boudreau, ’12, said. “I joined the team right before our second game, and I’m really glad I did. Coach Foshee is doing a good job finding a balance between becoming better tennis players, and being a light to other schools, which is Fresno Christians main goal.”

The Eagles next open up their season hosting Riverdale, March 26.