Cate boys tennis pulled out an 11-7 win over San Marcos in a local CIF-SS Division 3 championship on Friday at the Claremont Tennis Club.
The CIF-SS title is the Rams’ second in three seasons, as they also won the Division 3 crown in 2023.
“Having a regional Santa Barbara rivalry play out in Claremont shows how strong area high school tennis is,” Cate athletic director Wade Ransom
After a back-and-forth battle through two rounds, Cate found itself leading 7-5 with one round to play.
In the final round, Cate’s Nate Newlove and Harry Su earned their third win of the day to extend the lead to 8-5.
San Marcos’ Spencer Bauer and Kyle Shaffer then cut the deficit to 8-6 with a doubles victory.
In the final doubles match of the day, Cate’s Kaden Greene and Kendrick Suen pulled out a tiebreaker win to give their team the crucial ninth point.
Kakeru Hirofumi of the Rams then fought his way to a singles win to earn the CIF title-clinching 10th point.
Cate was led by the Tri-Valley League champion doubles pairing of Newlove and Su, who went 3-0 with a trio of 6-1 wins.
Meanwhile, Carter Cotich of the Royals brought his dominant singles season to a close with a 3-0 sweep.
“We had an amazing season this year with many incredible opportunities,” San Marcos head coach Emily Carver said. “We would be remiss not to recognize the assistant coaches who helped us this season, Jono Shaffer and Craig Cotich. The team was so grateful for the time donated by these two, certainly making a huge impact on our season.
“I’m honored to have been this team’s coach; their resiliency, sportsmanship, and attitude toward the game (and life) are invigorating.
“I’d like to also recognize our seniors, Spencer Bauer, Kyle Shaffer, Henry Challen, and Owen Hennessee. They have worked extremely hard over the past 4 years to pull themselves up from junior varsity to leading the varsity team this year.
“While their personalities vary, they know how to bring the team together in tough matches. Their absence will be noticed on the court.”