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Re-cap of 2014 Pilots - Champions At Last! The 2013 Pilots produced their
2nd trip to the Semi-Finals of the CIF Invitational Team Playoffs, which naturally prompted the question of whether
or not the Pilots could win the Invitational Championship in 2014. It was a very reasonable proposition, as the Pilots
were only set to lose 1 starter and were expecting to return 12 Seniors. Many of the underclassmen and new guys had
also stepped up and it was clear that 2014 could perhaps be the strongest squad the Pilots had ever put together. However,
when the idea was asked, the answer from the coach was a resounding NO! The Pilots had NO chance of winning the Invitational
Championship. The reason: the Pilots had "bigger fish to fry." The Pilots then realized that their best
chance at winning the Invitational had perhaps passed, as the result of so much success had raised the level of expectations.
Anything short of a Marine League Championship and a trip to the CIF City Division Team Playoffs would be considered a disappointment. Right off the bat, however, the Pilots were dealt a series of blows. One Senior who was expected to
be a prominent singles starter would not return. Much bigger than that, however, was the fact that the school administration
had made a decision that seemed to doom the Pilots' dreams, as all sports would no longer have a place in the master schedule.
This meant that practice time would be cut drastically, and the academic demands to keep up, would become significantly more
challenging. Further, with so many Seniors having rigorous additional academic & extra-curricular commitments, attendance
at practice itself, would also suffer, creating a more daunting task. The Pilots were not dissuaded
at all. Challenges, barriers and other obstacles had become something that this group was used to overcoming, and the
attitude still remained that the Pilots were the team to beat. With 8 Seniors anchoring the lineup, the years of hard
work would not allow the Pilots to be denied in their quest for greatness and immortality. Nine of
the team's 10 anticipated starters had accumulated significant varsity experience that would prove to be the difference in
the end. Four of the team's 4th-year starting Seniors had accrued 8 full seasons of varsity experience. Three of
the team's four 3rd-year Seniors were coming off full-time starter-status as well. Two of the team's Juniors
had also logged-in significant varsity duties in 2013 and were poised to have an even bigger impact in 2014. Three other
Pilots would collect starts on varsity, including a 3rd-year Senior who became a surprising, but dependable starter,
as well as a 3rd-year Junior who had steadily improved, and a 2nd-year Sophomore whose meteoric rise
up the ranks made him the most reliable fill-in and challenger for varsity starts. Joining these last 2 in the group
of JV returners would 1 Senior, 3 more Juniors, 3 1st-year Sophomores and 3 Freshmen. In total, the team added
7 new players to round out the group of 24. The season once again began with a mix of confidence &
doubt, as the Pilots split the 1st two matches with a blowout, and a seemingly devastating close 3-4 loss to a
team that had historically been an Invitational-level team. (Bell; That would change for them in 2014 as well.) The Pilots
quickly got back on track, however, winning 7 in a row, including dominating wins over the past 2 Marine League Champs, as
well as over the league's only other undefeated team at the end of round 1 of league play. The beginning
of the 2nd round of league play almost destroyed the team's spirits as they were unexpectedly handed a loss by
the league's 3rd-place finisher in an extremely frustrating day of bad weather, seemingly bad calls, and overall
bad luck. The Pilots, however, would have no time to dwell on the loss, as they knew they could not drop another contest
and still have a realistic shot at the league title. The team had business to take care of. They were also somewhat
optimistic due to the fact that because the loss was not to the league's 2nd place team, they still controlled
their own destiny. The team then won the next 3 league contests, yet had a reality check when it came
to City Division teams, after a blowout loss to Chatsworth. Despite missing 2 starters for that match, and losing 0-7,
the Pilots were somewhat encouraged by how close some of the matches actually were. Unfortunately the day ended on a
sour note of unacceptable behavior and attitudes by many of the team's Seniors (& others as well) prompting a heartfelt,
but stern (& extremely long) condemnation of said behavior and a challenge/demand for more leadership and dedication in
the hopes that this year's accomplishments up to that point would not go to waste. With that, the team dismissed for Spring
Break with only 2 matches left to play. After the break, the Seniors, and the rest of the team, responded
to the loss and the harsh reprimands with a 2nd consecutive season sweep over the Colts on a fantastic Senior Day.
It then all came down to the last match of season. While there had been some who had hoped that Gardena, the league's
2nd place team, might lose again before the showdown, rendering the last match meaningless, Coach Castillo declared
that he had no such desires. The perfect ending to the season would force the Pilots to win that last match, on the road,
no less, to clinch the team's first Marine League Championship, perhaps in the entire history of the school. Fate
would have its way. As the Pilots travelled to face the Panthers, they knew that Gardena would be coming after us, as
they controlled their destiny as well, after winning all their other league contests. A win by the Panthers would give the
Pilots their 2nd loss, and leave Gardena with only 1 loss and grant them the title. Despite a 6-1 win the
1st time around, the Pilots expected fierce resistance. Gardena came to play, and they had extra ammo this
time. With a new player in their lineup, and some changes in the Pilots' lineup, nothing could be taken for granted. After dropping the 2 of the first 3 singles matches, and barely pulling out the 1st two doubles
matches, the pressure mounted. Gardena came to play. Kevin Lam & Juan Mijares knew that either they, or Joshua Guray
would have to win. There was no room for error. Guray's match would be on hold, while Lam & Mijares quickly
dug themselves into an 0-3 hole in the 1st set. While often exhibiting a care-free, fun-loving, and a seemingly
nonchalant attitude at many points throughout the season, Lam & Mijares finally got serious, winning 12 of the last 15
games to deliver the win and the Marine League Championship for the Pilots at long last! Little did they know just how
critical their win was, as Guray ended up falling just short, and the final tally being a win by the slimmest of margins:
a 4-3 victory. The team rejoiced and would celebrate on-court with an old relic (old Banning Trophy from 1930) and celebratory
drinks (sparkling cider in champagne glasses) for the amazing accomplishment they had just achieved. Congratulations
then poured in from all over, as the Gardena coach lauded the class & dignity with which the Pilots won, Pilots Tennis
Family Members from both the boys' and girls' teams, past & present, reveled in the shared dream that was finally realized. With the team on such a high, it was hard to remember that the accomplishment was reflective not only of the
team's efforts, but also of individual efforts which opened doors and created opportunities for more greatness. The
celebration of the team's league championship, while certainly unforgettable, would be somewhat short-lived as 8 members of
the team momentarily shifted their focus towards the Marine League Singles & Doubles Championships The results were
beyond phenomenal, as the Pilots received 5 entries into the End-of-Season League Championships: 2 in singles & 3 in doubles.
While the Pilots' were not surprised that the top-seeded team of Chun & Rodriguez captured the Marine League Doubles Championship,
the team's 2 singles entries upset the top two seed in the tournament, simply to face each other in the final. Somewhat
unexpectedly, but not shockingly, Walter Camacho took the Singles title after knocking of three #1 players as the #6 seed.
Now the Pilots boasted THREE Marine League Championships simultaneously. Again, however, the team had
little time to celebrate as they shifted focus, once again, back to the fate of the team, in terms of the 2nd stated
goal and expectation: entry into the CIF City Division Playoffs, for perhaps the 1st time in school history.
While the Pilots knew they had good reason to expect that, given their status as Marine League Champions, there were question
marks that arose out of the 2 non-league losses to Bell & Chatsworth. During the CIF seeding meeting, there was
much heated debate about Banning's placement, before it was finally decided that the Pilots were the #7-ranked team in the
entire CIF City Division. It was not without controversy, however, as there were several coaches who believed that Banning
was ranked too high, and at least one league representative that didn't believe that the Pilots belonged in the City Division
at all. Certainly they expected the Pilots to be upset in the 1st round, and for it to be a blowout. The
Pilots, however knew that they belonged, and prepared to face a Hamilton team, that was eager to prove that they had been
under-rated. The Pilots played well, for the most part, but at times seemed to suffer from a lack of focus, and perhaps
were affected, psychologically, by the fact that they were now in the bracket with "The Big Boys." The Pilots,
however, would come up short. Nevertheless, while the team did not advance, they proved that they could compete in th City
Division, as the Pilots fell just 2 matches shy, out of the 25 played, of advancing to the quarterfinals. In singles,
the Pilots took 5 of the 16 matches, including a sweep over Hamilton's #4, and an impressive win by Manuel Leon over the Yankees'
#1 player. In addition, the Pilots had great opportunities for 3 more singles wins. Against Hamilton's #2, the Pilots'
Walter Camacho jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead, while Leon & Julian Frausto pushed him to a tie-break, before dropping
all 3 of those matches. In doubles, the Pilots took 5 of the 9 matches including a pair of wins by Isai Chun & JoeAnthony
Rodriguez, as well as Chris Leon & Cristian Talavera over Hamilton's top pair. In addition, once again, the Pilots
had very realistic prospects for 3 more doubles wins, including Kevin Lam & Juan Mijares' match vs. the Yankees' top pair,
which ended after a 4-5 deuce point, a tie-break loss by Leon/Talavera & a surprising upset by Hamilton's 3rd
pair over Chun/Rodriguez. The Pilots remained steadfast with their heads held high. While the disappointment of the way the
team's season ended certainly was tough, it did not take away from the amazing success the team enjoyed in bringing home 3
league championships & an admirable performance in the team's 1st appearance in the City Division. But
it STILL wasn't over... In regards to the CIF Singles & Doubles Championships, the Pilots also continued
to make more strides, as the team was represented in the Singles draw for the 2nd consecutive year, this time receiving
2 entries. In Doubles, the team received 3 entries. 2 pairs advance to the Round of 16 for the 2nd consecutive
time in school history, while Chun & Rodriguez, the #8 seed in the tournament, rode the wave of success all the way to
the Elite 8, earning themselves a spot on the 2014 CIF All-City Team. The total of 5 entries, and 8 players total receiving
bids into the tournament also tied them with the 2008 Pilots. 2014, by all definitions, was one of the
most successful seasons in school history, if not THE most successful season ever. Although not much of what was achieved
could be called surprising, the manner and the road travelled was certainly full of many twists and turns. One would
think that with all the success achieved, that the season was full of nothing but good feelings. Nothing could be further
than the truth. This was a difficult season that testing the dedication and the resolve of all of those involved.
As it should. Nothing worth achieving comes easy. And the 2014 season will always be a reminder of that fact.
The Marine League Championship came with a heavy cost, but at the end of the day, it was worth it, and worthy of our best
efforts. This season was unforgettable and has now been immortalized in the archives of Banning Tennis history.
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