On a beautiful Friday afternoon, the Rowland High School Men’s Tennis Team set off to do something never achieved in school and district history: winning the coveted CIF Tennis Championship. Team Captain, Hacienda League Doubles Co-MVP, Hacienda League Doubles Champion, and CIF Doubles Qualifier Dylan Minarto stated, “From day one, our coach told us we had a chance to make history this season. We just had to work hard and believe in ourselves.” The hard work came into play as they battled magnet school Foothill Technology from Ventura.
“Right from the outset, we knew it would be a grueling battle. Neither team had come this far to back down now. Our focus was on playing our brand of tennis and not letting their distractions affect us,” articulated Head Coach Jake Magnant. The first round was a fierce contest, with Rowland taking an early 4-2 lead. “We were aware that we had to fight for every point. This match was about earning, not receiving,” reiterated Team Captain, Hacienda League Doubles Co-MVP, Hacienda League Doubles Champion and CIF Doubles Qualifier Jatin Yang, who, along with his doubles partner Dylan Minarto, swept all three of their championship matches.
The second round proved pivotal as Foothill Tech attempted a comeback. However, standout freshman Ian Minarto had what would end up being the game's biggest match, upsetting their nationally ranked singles player 7-6 (7-5). “I left everything out there. I was not going to let my team down. We had come too far to stop now,” stated Ian Minarto, who also won all three of his championship matches. This win helped move the team to a 7-4 lead, leading into the third round.
“The third round continued with its intense play. “We knew we needed to close the match and not leave it to chance,” stated Hacienda League Honorable Doubles Mention and Team Captain Joshua Orbita. The Rowland Raiders took two doubles matches and one singles match to hit the ten-point mark. Thus securing the school’s and district’s first-ever CIF Tennis Championship. In the words of Dylan Minarto, “None of us will ever forget today’s match, and we will never forget the coaching staff who helped us get there.” Congratulations again to the Rowland Men’s Tennis Team for bringing home our first CIF Tennis Title!