Thanks to Maranatha Tennis for this report:
Boys Tennis:
In yet another nail-biter in a season full of them, Maranatha followed their pattern of getting an early lead before letting their opponents rally late.
It is a habit that the Minutemen will need to correct swiftly as the playoffs approach.
There isn’t much leeway in the win-or-go-home nature of the CIF-SS playoffs.
The first round of play ended with MHS leading, 4-2, as both the #2’s and #3’s in singles and doubles got wins, with both #2 Nico Engling and #3 Laci Szabo winning, 6-1, and #2 Sean Tang/Sawyer Tarampi and #3 Shahe Yerevanian/Victor Qiao winning, 6-3. #1 singles, Tim Huang, was edged out, 6-4, while #1 doubles, Jordan Miao/Joshua Im were defeated, 6-2.
The second round saw the Minutemen pull ahead before the Raiders evened the round, with Huang and Engling winning, 6-1 and 6-0, respectively, while Miao/Im were the only doubles to get a win. Tang/Tarampi continued their struggle to find consistency, playing brilliantly one moment and then losing focus the next.
They were leading against the #3’s the entire set before relinquishing their lead and succumbing in a tie-breaker (10-8). Getting a consistent level of quality play from them will be crucial for MHS’s hopes to go deep into the playoffs. Heading into the third round, Maranatha led, 7-5.
Huang opened the final round with a 6-0 victory to give the Minutemen an 8-5 lead. The Raiders then went on a 4-0 run to lead, 9-8, as Miao/Im were battling the #3’s in the final set of the day. Knowing they needed to win, they played as a team that was not going to be denied, securing a 9-9 tie with a 6-2 victory. That gave the Minutemen the 75-69 edge on games.
This was the 6th meeting between the schools in Coach Arthur Hsieh’s era at the helm of Maranatha tennis. The teams have developed a mutually respectful rivalry, with competitive tennis and good sportsmanship always being played – the way high school tennis should be. Their last match together also ended in a 9-9 tie, but with the Raiders winning on games. The schools are now 3-3 in their last 6 meetings.
The CIF-SS Div. 4 #3 ranked Minutemen run their record to 12-0 on the season (6-0 in league) and now set their sights on the Coastal League’s biggest match of the season, as Maranatha and the CIF-SS Div. 5 #4 ranked Bruins of Geffen Academy/UCLA clash for the league title on Wednesday at UCLA. With a win, Maranatha secures the league title. A loss would drop the Minutemen into a tie for 1st with Geffen.
Photo of Jordan Miao/Joshua Im courtesy of Amanda Lin
Girls Tennis: Whew! That was close. The Marshall Fundamental girls’ tennis program drove all the way to Santa Barbara to battle San Marcos in the semifinal round of the CIF-SS Division 5 playoffs. And the Lady Eagles earned a spot in the title match by the skin of one’s teeth. Marshall and San Marcos won […]
Boys’ Water Polo: Los Osos didn’t just earn a spot in Saturday’s CIF-SS Division 3 championship game, The Grizzlies did so in dramatic fashion. LOHS led 7-6 in the waning moments of Tuesday’s D-3 semifinal at Santa Monica. The Vikings appeared to score to send the game to overtime. However, the goal was reversed on […]
Pictured L-R: Golden West quarterback, Will Burns, & Mt. SAC running back, Devin Miles Football: By Brian Reed-Baiotto Mt. SAC is the only program in the state of California that has full control over its ranking and postseason position. If the top-ranked Mounties defeat their visitors from Golden West on Saturday night, they’ll enter the […]
Girls Tennis: Marshall Fundamental has now earned a spot in Wednesday’s semifinal round of the CIF-SS Division 5 playoffs. The Eagles secured a comfortable 12-6 victory over their visitors from Carpinteria. Per usual, Marshall’s singles players led the way. Hannah Hagiwara, Diana Kasabian and Elena Edmonds provided eight set wins of the 10 needed to […]
Photos by Ryan Tomey & Conrad Hunziker III Football: Every First Round Score: Division 1: Mater Dei had a bye Sierra Canyon 38, Servite 14 Centennial Corona (bye) Mission Viejo (bye) Orange Lutheran (bye) JSerra (bye) Santa Margarita 59, Inglewood 26 St. John Bosco (bye) Friday’s Schedule: Sierra Canyon at Mater Dei Centennial Corona at […]
Football: Picture it: You’re a 4-6 football team that had to travel 136 miles to Santa Barbara in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 10 playoffs. And on the opening kickoff, you lose arguably the program’s MVP in CJ Gibson. With all things considered, the odds of heading back home with a win had […]
Football: Citrus College improved to 5-4 after Saturday’s 59-19 National Central Conference victory over OCC. Leading 21-12 midway through the second quarter, the Owls scored 37 consecutive points to put the game on ice. Citrus had advantages in first downs (29-18), rushing yards (340-170) and total offense (557-324). Jamahl Wilson carried the ball 15 times […]
Football: The only thing standing between Mt. SAC and next week’s National Central Conference title showdown with Golden West was a Saturday night contest with Long Beach. The Mounties didn’t waste a single second in taking control, and they cruised to a 44-14 victory over the visiting Vikings. Shawn Lievense took the opening kickoff 93 […]
Football: Julian Vigil wasn’t going to allow his high school career to end on Friday night. The Saints senior and his boys hosted Aliso Niguel in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 6 playoffs. And Calpreps, the site that CIF uses to make its first-round playoff pairings, actually projected the visiting Wolverines to leave […]
