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Undefeated: Redwood, Mission Oak highlight tennis season with league championships

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Undefeated: Redwood, Mission Oak highlight tennis season with league championships

It was another dominant season for the Redwood High School boys tennis team.

The Rangers extended their league win streak to 99 straight matches after cruising through East Yosemite League action with a perfect 10-0 record in April.

Under 19th-year head coach Russ Brown’s leadership, Redwood also won its 11th consecutive league championship dating back to 2013 and culminated its season in the Central Section Division I playoffs, losing 8-1 to eventual section champion and top-seed Clovis East in the quarterfinals.

The Rangers wrapped up the 2024 campaign with a 15-6 overall record and also posted a 5-4 postseason win over Bakersfield.

Redwood was led this season by Jacob Yang, Dominic Nguyen, Tanner Richardson, Tyler Sapasap, Yong Lee and Seth Degn.

Yang and Nguyen anchored the Rangers as the team’s No. 1 and 2 players, respectively, on the singles ladder.

As the third seed, the senior duo also enjoyed a deep run in the 2024 Central Section Doubles Tournament in May, advancing to the championship match before falling 6-1, 6-2 to Clovis East’s No. 1-seed Vraj Patel and Christian Castillo.

Yang and Nguyen reached the doubles title match with wins over No. 14 Central Valley Christian, 11th-ranked Arroyo Grande and two-seed Bakersfield Christian.

Yang concluded the season with a 14-7 record in singles and a 21-3 mark in doubles. Nguyen was 17-2 in singles and 22-3 in doubles.

“Both are fine individuals outside of being good tennis players,” Brown said. “Dom was honored in 2022 and Jacob in 2023 by the Tulare County Office of Ed for their sportsmanship. Dom has all expenses being paid to attend UC Santa Barbara — some needs-based and other scholarships. He recently earned 13 different scholarships presented at our Scholarship Night. Jacob plans to attend UC Santa Cruz where his father went. He may attempt to walk on their tennis team, but both plan to continue with club tennis offered at their universities.”

More: Redwood’s Erik Rico named the 2024 East Yosemite League baseball MVP

Mission Oak wins West Yosemite League championship

Mission Oak also enjoyed an undefeated league run this season.

The Hawks rolled to a perfect 10-0 record en route to winning an outright 2024 West Yosemite League championship.

This year, Joel Casallas Palomera, Adyn Richmond, brothers Nathan and Kyle Steed, Kenny Castro and Seth Reis led the Hawks.

Richmond, Nathan Steed and Reis served as this season’s team captains.

“They came in with an ambitious plan to get the team working hard and having camaraderie,” Mission Oak head coach Doug Jones said. “And it paid off.”

The No. 3 Hawks also made a memorable run in the 2024 Central Section Division III team playoffs, earning two postseason victories over No. 14 Pioneer Valley and an 8-1 win against El Diamante in the quarterfinals.

Mission Oak advanced to the playoff semifinals before falling 8-1 to eventual section champion Kerman.

The Hawks finished their season with a 16-5 overall record.

More: ‘He’s one of the toughest runners I’ve ever had’: Devin Ibarra enjoys championship run

“The team has a positive attitude toward competition and reacts well to setbacks,” Jones said. “Seeing them win league was very exciting.”

What was behind Mission Oak’s outstanding season?

It started with Palomera — the team’s No. 1 player on the singles ladder. He was the runner-up for the WYL’s singles championship and was the second player in school history to reach a league final.

Tulare Union’s Reuel Rivera won the WYL singles championship this season.

“Our upswing in boys tennis in the last three years has been bolstered by my JV co-head coaches, Jonathan Palomera and David Ochoa,” Jones said. “They are my former players and are brothers to my No. 1, Joel. They’ve brought a fresh perspective and big-hitting that has breathed new life into the program.”

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