STOCKTON — Competing in its first Sac-Joaquin Section coed tennis championship in 33 years on Wednesday, Ripon Christian was locked in a back-and-forth struggle with top-seeded Argonaut at Oak Park Tennis Center.
The match fittingly came down to the third set of the No. 1 boys singles showdown, and it was the Mustangs of Jackson who ultimately prevailed 5-4 in the Division II final.
You know what? If I’m going to go down, I’m going to go down, 5-4,” Ripon Christian coach Melody de Abreu said. “I want to go down in a battle the way that our No. 1 boys singles player did.”
Jesse Flores clinched the first coed tennis title in school history for Argonaut, outlasting Isaac Buwalda, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-5 in a marathon match that lasted about 2 ½ hours.
Buwalda won a wild rally that excited spectators in the seventh game of the final set. He then won the deuce point to lead 4-3.
He later prolonged the match after scrapping back from a 30-40 deficit while trailing 4-5 on games, but then could not hold a 40-love advantage as Flores completed the comeback with an overhead smash to move back ahead, 6-5. In the end, Flores won a deuce point on an unforced error and celebrated his hard-earned victory with teammates.
“That was an incredible match,” de Abreu said. “Great serves from both players, and that’s a great team. We did our best. We played the way we had to play (to be competitive).”
Her No. 2-seeded Knights were in position to win the match after the No. 2 girls doubles team of Josie Bohn and Sydney Briggs defeated Tonya Chronis and Kate Hicks, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5. That gave Ripon Christian a 4-3 advantage with the No. 1 boys and girls singles matches remaining.
“It was stressful but very exciting for my last match ever,” Briggs said. She is one of three seniors on the team, and this was just her second match partnered with Bohn, a sophomore.
“I feel like we clicked right away,” Briggs said.
“We figured out each other’s strengths and weaknesses and knew how to work well together,” Bohn interjected. “Today, we were learning from our mistakes and noticing where they were struggling and figuring out what they were trying to do.”
Overall, Ripon Christian dropped three of four matches that went to third sets. No. 1 girls singles player Sarah Vander Veen came up short against Maeve Klement, 6-3, 3-6, 1-6. In mixed doubles, Anika Schooland and Peter Vander Meulen were edged out by Tess Himmelmann and John Savage, 4-6, 6-3, 4-6.
Derek Van Elderen was Ripon Christian’s lone winner in singles play. He took down Roland Loffswold 6-0, 6-0 in the No. 2 match. Ellie Dyt lost the No. 2 girls singles match 0-6, 0-6 to Lily Carson.
Both of the Knights’ boys doubles teams swept. The top tandem of Jaden Bohn and Drew Meester held off Alec Giron and Allen Swett, 6-4, 6-2. Sam Roos and Logan Pollard dominated the No. 2 doubles match against Devin Dalton and Gabe Figueroa, 6-0, 6-0.
Argonaut took the No. 1 girls doubles match, as Natalia Silva and Sadie Himmelmann beat Maya De Jong and Ruth Visser, 6-3, 6-4.
“It is a huge deal to get these kids here,” de Abreu said. “You can feel the fire underneath them as we got closer to this day, which was fun to see. Just so happy and so proud, and this is going to push us forward for next year. We’re looking forward to the freshmen coming in. The future looks bright.”
The season isn’t over yet for six Ripon Christian players, who will compete in the SJS Individual Coed Tournament next Monday and Tuesday back at Oak Park. Included are the Knights’ two senior No. 1 singles players. Buwalda will compete with Jaden Bohn as a doubles team, while Dyt partners with Josie Bohn. Van Elderen and Vander Veen will play singles.
