Chico High boys tennis clinches regional title, advances to NorCal state tournament

WILLOWS - The Chico High School boys tennis team nearly swept Willows High School Wednesday, with sophomore Logan Sitanggang leading the way to help clinch the NorCal Regional title and punching the Panthers' ticket to the state tournament.

Head coach Randy Agnew, now in his eighth season with the Panthers, said he was "extremely proud" of the team, and praised their hard work throughout the season to get to this point.

"They've been working towards this goal the whole season," he said. "I just made sure that they were focused, and they were, and they just kept on playing like they have been the whole year."

Despite playing a smaller school in Willows, Agnew said they are extremely talented.

"We knew they were going to be good," he said. "We have a very strong league, and so we approached (Willows) very similarly."

Though the Panthers won almost all their matches, several of them saw Chico players down early. Despite this, they were able to come back from early deficits in three separate matches. Agnew said he has been working on the "mental game" with the team all year, saying that they have to be able to move on once a point is scored.

"If you sit and dwell on one point, it'll ruin you," he said. "You have to be able to play a point, and once it's over, it's over, and you have to move on. So I've been focusing on that a lot this year, the mental aspect of our game."

The Panthers almost swept the Honkers in singles, winning five of six and securing the victory before the need for official doubles matches. Logan Sitanggang won the No. 1 singles match 6-0, 6-2 against Willows' Logan Elliott, helping to set the tone early for the team.

"It feels good to be able to contribute to my team, and I feel like I'm a sort of leader here," Sitanggang said. "I was able to get my first serve in a lot of the times, and I was able to get the ball back when I needed it the most."

Sophomore RJ Canfield won his No. 2 singles match 6-2, 6-2 against Willows' Brian Salcedo, coming back from an early deficit in the first set. Canfield said the comeback made the win feel "even better."

"Mentally-wise, it's amazing," he said. "You just got to stay aggressive and hope for the best, and I came out on top."

Canfield also said the team win also felt amazing, and was happy he was able to contribute to the team. He said the win helps them get one step closer to the state tournament, which was the goal for everyone going into the season.

Sophomore Brev Creech won his No. 3 singles match 6-2, 6-1 against Willows' Adam Salcedo, and also saw a deficit early that he was able to come back from. Chico's one loss came in the No. 4 singles match, when Willows' Adrian Palacios defeated Chico high freshman Emerson Soto 6-1, 6-1. Agnew praised Palacios, and said it was one of the best No. 4 matches he's seen.

"I don't think anyone played bad there, that's probably the top four I've seen all season," Agnew said. "I give the other kid a lot of kudos, because I thought he played fantastic today."

Freshman Marco Tricerri won his No. 5 match 6-1, 6-1, beating Willows' Fernando Garcia. Agnew said this is Tricerri's first year playing tennis, and praised his performance all season.

"He's been outstanding this whole season, and he's so athletic and he's just a great tennis player," Agnew said. "So for him to come out strong like that, it was important."

Rounding out the day was freshman Sasha Iwabuchi, who won the No. 6 singles match 6-3, 6-0 against Willows' Cristobal Garcia, clinching the win for the Panthers.

Looking forward, the Panthers now move on to the NorCal Team Tennis Championship May 22 and 23 at the Broadstone Sports Club in Folsom, where they will play teams from Sacramento, the Central Valley and the Bay Area. Agnew said they have about a week and a half to prepare.

"We will practice and take a little time off to rest, but we will focus as we've been focusing all season," he said. "Our boys are looking forward to the opportunity and the experience."

Following the win, both Chico and Willows wanted to play doubles despite the outcome already being decided, and decided to play friendly matches. Agnew said the team "loves to play doubles," and they've been working hard on it all season.

"I think they saw a fun opportunity to play which allowed them to have a fun match and a good time," he said. "That's what I love about this group. They are a great group of boys that are fun to be around and work hard. I can't ask for much more."

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