2006 –A Closer Look at a Special Year
Season three looked like it was going to
be the season that the Pilots were going to get over the “hump” and perhaps finally defeat one of the elite Marine
League teams; something that hadn’t happened in at least the previous 10-15 years.
However, the team was dealt an early blow. In addition losing 3 top players to graduation, an additional eleven of
2005’s twenty players did not return to the team, including players predicted to be ranked #1, 2 & 4 on the team. This left the Pilots with only two returners with any significant varsity experience. With most of the team consisting of a new group of players who were also brand new
to tennis, 2006 started to look a lot like a rebuilding year, perhaps reminiscent of the 2004 season. However, this group of Pilots had a lot of heart and was determined to improve. Through a tremendous amount of hard work everyday & especially during “Bloody Thursdays”
(a new team tradition where players are pushed to their limits), the team managed to have an incredibly successful season.
After going 2-1 in non-league matches, the
team prepared for a competitive Marine League. The team had a quick start, winning
their first two versus Washington
(7-0) & Gardena (5-2), before dropping their next three
in a row to the usual suspects: Carson, Narbonne & San Pedro. During that
three-game losing streak, the Pilots had a great effort in a 4-3 loss to Carson, in which Banning won all 3 doubles matches
while Carson took the 4 singles matches. In a very disappointing 5-2 loss against
Narbonne, the Pilots saw two matches result in losses after
holding seemingly firm leads. In the conclusion to the first half of the season,
the Pilots were on the edge of an upset victory over San Pedro. The match was
tied 3-3, with the last match on court being the decisive one. The Pilots barely
missed out on the victory with a tough 3-set loss in that final match. However,
although it was unknown at the time, the close margin of defeat in those three losses would come into play later in the season.
The Pilots started the second half of the
Marine League season as they did the first with victories over Washington (7-0) & Gardena (7-0). This was
the 1st 7-0 victory vs. Gardena under Coach Castillo,
and would also come into play at the end of the season. After taking a second
loss to Carson (2-5), the Pilots were 4-4 in league, and it seemed as though we would once again end up with a 4-6 league
record for a third straight year. This still would have been a tremendous accomplishment,
given the fact that so many players were lost from 2005. To be able to match
2005’s record with so many 1st-year players would have been a considered a success and a testament to the
growth and hard work of the team.
The Pilots, however, did not give up on the
idea that we could win against both San Pedro & Narbonne for our last 2 matches.
We were so close in the 1st meeting with San Pedro & were 1 set away from the victory. Even though we lost 5-2 to Narbonne the
first time around, we knew that had we been better at closing out our matches, we could have also won that match 4-3.
Going into the match versus San Pedro at
Daniel’s field, we already knew that we would have to play beyond ourselves just to have a chance at winning. Not only had we already lost in the 1st meeting, but on this day, we were without our #1 player,
Juan Lara, (who was on a trip to UC Berkeley where he had just been accepted), & another of our top players lost his eligibility. Prior to the line-up exchange, there was a moment of conflict between the San Pedro
coach and Coach Castillo. Before the Pilots took the courts, Coach Castillo gave
the team a “pep-talk” and reminded them that for every match, all they were ever asked for, was to they try their
best. If we worked hard, the wins and losses would take care of themselves. However, the tension caused by the pre-game conflict was running very high. It was then, that the Pilots were asked to do something special; something that hadn’t happened in
at least the past 10-15 years; something that Coach Castillo never asked for: WIN!
After the conclusion of the first four matches
on court, San Pedro had a 3-1 lead and a Pirate victory seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
By the time that the last 3 matches got on court, many of the San Pedro players had already left, thinking that they
would win for sure. However, the Pilots would win 2 more matches, to create a
score of 3-3, with one last match on court… again! With the last match
still being played, the Pilots gathered around to evaluate the situation: if we could somehow win the last match, we would
finally beat San Pedro. However, after assessing the situation further, it seemed
unlikely. Andres Suarez, playing at #4 singles had already lost the 1st
set and was down 5-3 in the second set, only one or two points away from defeat. However
after another “pep-talk”, Suarez somehow found the motivation to force the 2nd set into tie-breaker. By that time, the Boys’ Volleyball team, who travels together with us, came
down to the courts to lend their support. Suarez handily won the tie-breaker,
furthering the Pilots’ hope for a victory. He went on to easily close out
the 3rd set over a demoralized Pirate, creating an electrifying scene as the team poured onto the court to congratulate
him.
The victory over San Pedro might have been
the highlight of the year. Not only was it historic, but it also guaranteed us
at least a 5-5 league record, and an overall winning record of 7-6 on the season
for, again, the first time in perhaps the last 10-15 years. However, the Pilots
weren’t done producing miracles.
Coach Castillo looked over the league standings
and after reviewing all of the scores, realized that the Pilots actually had an outside chance of taking 2nd place
in league, which could then lead to us making the playoffs. If Carson beat San
Pedro, (which was very likely), and if Banning beat Narbonne, (not as likely) it would create a 3-way tie for 2nd
place between Banning, Narbonne & San Pedro, who would all have a 6-4 league record.
Second place in the Marine League comes with an automatic playoff bid.
Upon further examination, however, a Pilot
victory over Narbonne would not be sufficient. Not only did the Pilots have to defeat the Gauchos, (another thing that hadn’t happened in the past
10-15 years), but would have to win by a margin of 5-2 or better. This is where
it got complicated. If Banning defeated Narbonne,
and if San Pedro lost to Carson, as expected, all 3 teams
would have identical 6-4 records. The first tie-Breaker in such a case would
be head-to-head matches. However, that alone would not break the tie as Narbonne
& San Pedro split their two matches 4-3, 3-4. Banning & San Pedro had
the exact same split: 3-4, 4-3. Since Narbonne
won the first meeting against Banning 5-2, the Pilots would have to win by the same margin simply to get to the second tie-breaker. The second tie-breaker would be the total number of matches won during league competition. This is where our other scores would come into play.
Although we were somewhat close to a victory
in the first meeting (L 5-2), and defeating Narbonne seemed
attainable, a 5-2 victory seemed like it might be somewhat out of reach. Although
our #1 player returned from his Berkeley trip, we were still
without our other top player lost to ineligibility. As we prepared for Narbonne’s arrival for our season finale, the whole team wondered
excitedly at the prospect of making the playoffs and seemed ready to make more history.
Although they openly asked whether or not it could be done, they also seemed prepared to do everything in their power
to make it happen, encouraged by our recent victory over San Pedro.
After the first five matches, Banning clinched
the victory over Narbonne, sweeping all three doubles &
winning one singles match. However, two matches remained, with both Rozairo Miralles
& Juan Tafolla still on court. Things started to look good, as both players
were playing well & had leads. However, after Miralles dropped another
tough 3-set match, all hopes were squarely on the shoulders of Juan Tafolla. Throughout
the season, Tafolla had provided numerous clutch performances, & he was the player that gave Banning the opportunities
to win the first meetings versus Narbonne & San Pedro by capturing some unexpected victories. He would be needed again on this day. As the last match on
court, a crowd began to build as both teams knew what was at stake. Although
Banning had already won the contest, much was still to be decided. A victory
in this last match for Narbonne would give them the head-to-head
edge over Banning, therefore giving them the tie-breaker for 2nd place and the playoff bid. A victory in this last remaining match in favor of the Pilots would force the second tie-breaker to come
into play: total matches won in league competition. Banning would have 45 total
match victories, leaving Narbonne with only 44. San Pedro was not completely out of the equation, but after a 5-2 defeat to Carson in the 1st
meeting, they would need an unlikely improvement on that score in their second meeting, to force a third tie-breaker: a coin
flip.
So, here were the Pilots, on the edge of
making history, (at least recent history), with all of our hopes & dreams riding on the team’s most clutch performer,
Juan Tafolla. We were confident that he would bring it home. After taking a close, well-fought first set, we were now clearly in control of our own destiny. We had no reason to believe that San Pedro would be able to improve their score over Carson, especially since the Colts now had a few of their top players back from eligibility. (San Pedro wound up losing 7-0). As the
excitement began to build, so did the level of Tafolla’s play. He knew
what was at stake & played some awesome tennis, taking a 5-0 lead in the second set.
The players were buzzing with excitement, knowing what his victory would mean.
However, Narbonne wasn’t quite giving up yet. Tafolla’s opponent took one game, then another, then a third and fourth, and
before we knew it, the result of the match was now in question. Narbonne’s player then won a fifth game, tying the score at 5-5. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing. This wasn’t
happening, was it? We feared that if Narbonne
somehow pulled out this second set, that it might demoralize Tafolla, and destroy his confidence for a 3rd set. But Tafolla wasn’t done yet either. He
re-focused, stepped into the box, and convincingly won the next two games to end the match as everyone rushed onto the court
and mobbed him with congratulatory hugs & “Hi-5s” for his performance.
2006
PLAYOFFS
Team Playoffs - Invitational Division
Our playoff run ended early in the 1st
round as the #9 seed playing at #8 Westchester. Our
defeat there showed how much more we have left to go, in terms of our quest to be city champs.
However, our season did not conclude with any bitterness. Just making
the playoffs was an accomplishment in itself. We had a good showing with 2 of our singles players (Suarez & Tafolla) getting
playoff victories, as well as a playoff win from our #1 doubles (Juan Lara/Tony Magaña).
Individual Playoffs
We were so happy to receive 7 selections
for the individual playoffs. This was the 1st time that we sent a
player for the singles tournament, and also the first time that 3 doubles teams were sent.
Our #1 doubles, (Lara/Magaña) were rated in the top 16 going into the tournament.
Despite the fact that all of the Pilots’ playoff selections did not advance past the first round, the experience
was unforgettable. AllI am proud to say that overall, Banning had a good showing,
especially considering their competition.
LIST
OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS - 2006
2006 was an incredibly successful season. Among our accomplishments were:
- Overall winning record – 1st time in past 10-15 years (8
wins - 5 losses)
- Winning Marine League record – 1st time in past 10-15 years (6 wins – 4 losses)
- 2nd Place in Marine League –
1st time in past 10-15 years
- Playoff participants in L.A. C.I.F. City Section Team Playoffs – Invitational Division – 1st
time in past 10-15 years
- Victory over San Pedro HS – 1st time in past 10-15 years
- Victory over Narbonne HS – 1st time in past 10-15 years
- An unprecedented 7 (out of 10) Varsity players (including all 3 doubles teams) sent to the L.A. C.I.F. City Section
– Individual Playoffs for Singles & Doubles. This was more than any
Marine League team (Carson sent 5 players) & possibly
more than any other team in the city.
- JV was a perfect 13-0, extending a 3-year winning streak to 36 games.
- 2.88 Team G.P.A. (3rd highest of all teams at BHS)
- 94% Eligibility Rate (96% over the last 3 years)
2006
Schedule & Results (8-5 Overall, 6-4 League, 2nd Place)
Non-League
L.A.C.E.S.
W 4-3
Garfield W 5-2
Locke
L 6-1
1st Half
2nd Half
Washington W 7-0
Washington
W 7-0
Gardena W 5-2
Gardena
W 7-0
Carson L 4-3
Carson
L 5-2
Narbonne L 5-2
San Pedro W 4-3
San Pedro
L 4-3
Narbonne
W 5-2
Most
Valuable Player: Juan Tafolla
Most
Improved Player: Andres Suarez
Rookie
of the Year: Jacob Loy (New Category)
Playoffs:
Team:
Invitational Division #9 Seed
1st Round vs. #8 Seed Westchester L 26 - 3 ½
Individuals:
Singles: Juan Tafolla (1st
Round)
Doubles: Juan Lara/Tony Magaña (1st Round)
Leo Cabrera/Jacob Loy (1st Round)
Rozairo Miralles/Luis Moreno (1st Round)
JUNIOR
VARSITY
In JV action, our winning streak continued
and has now been extended to 36 wins versus 0 losses. On various occasions, many
of our JV players played some of the other schools’ varsity players and even defeated them. The success of our JV program continues to give us much hope for the future of the program.
2006 Playoffs
Interestingly enough, even though it was
unofficial, the JV team was represented in the playoffs by Rosendo Tolento & Oliver Arreaga who brought home a playoff
victory over Westchester for the JV squad, keeping the winning streak alive.
COACH’S MESSAGE – 2006 MEN
OF CHARACTER
More important than all of the on-court accomplishments
that we had this season, was the incredible amount of character shown by the young men on the team. This group grew incredibly in terms of their sense of maturity, responsibility & dedication to something
bigger than themselves. I have to say, personally, that the one thing I am most
proud of was the character and integrity shown by the team, at a critical time. There
was a point of controversy, not involving us, that possibly cheated another team out of their chances for a playoff spot. After hearing of the possible injustice that the other team was facing, the team unanimously,
and without any argument, agreed to give up our playoff spot to that team if it came to that.
While, in the end, it did not come to that, I have to say that I am extremely proud of the decision that these young
men made. Despite the fact that it might have meant that they would not be in
the playoffs, their sense of conviction drove them to do the right thing. I was
proud to see that they understood that nothing would be lost by the decision, other than a possible playoff spot. The season and all of our accomplishments would remain intact and it would be something to cherish &
take pride in. For these things, I am most proud of my team.
I am so very proud to be able to call myself
the coach this team for everything they have accomplished this year, both on and off the court. I have learned a valuable life-lesson from this group. Going
in to the season, I had doubts and disappointment caused by the lack of returning players.
In my own mind, I already started thinking about why we would not be as
successful as I had hoped, rather that focusing on how we could reach the level
of success that I had expected. I was really down, thinking about what I had
lost, rather than seeing what I had gained. I learned with this team, (as in
life) that rather than focusing on what you don’t have, you should focus
on what you do have; and what I did
have was something special. Fortunately, I recognized that early on, and
it allowed me to refocus my energies. I enjoyed every minute with this group
and I appreciate all the hard work put in, and the incredible amount of enthusiasm that this group generated. This was an awesome year and I’m so glad that I was able to be part of it.
