Trojans serve Honkers a loss

Wearing blue shirts adorned with the initials "ZJM" in honor of Orland alumnus and four-year tennis player Zack Moloney who died recently, the Orland High boys tennis team showed off their school spirit and bested the Honkers on the road Thursday afternoon.

This was the second-to-last regular season matchup for both teams, who each play one last regular season game before entering post-season action. 

Johnnny Vasquez defeated Michael Lee 6-1, 6-1, while teammate Ray Hecox claimed the win over Steve Vang 6-1, 6-4. The Trojans kept it going when Guillermo Banuelos trumped Hunter Thompson 6-1, 6-1 and Joseph Glover out-paced Tou Xiong to grab the 6-1, 6-0 win. Mauricio Ziranda ran the court to beat Willem Poldervaart in a lengthy matchup 6-3, 6-4 and Draven Yahn bested Willows' Conner Piper 6-4, 6-3.

The Trojans also swept doubles play, securing wins of 9-7, 8-1 and 8-1.

As both teams turn their eyes to their respective league tournaments next week and ready themselves for the section championships, the coaches reflected on the season thus far and the upcoming tasks at hand.

Willows coach B.J. Boyd conveyed the positives his team has taken away for the season, saying, "We nearly won our match yesterday against Live Oak, which would have split the league championship between us, but that's okay. We played solid and that's what matters. We weren't sure what to expect from the season (due to several talented senior players graduating) but it has turned out to be a good season, and we were able to get the second place in league as well."

Orland coach George Valentine expressed his happiness at his team grabbing the number one spot in the BVL, and going into the latter portion of the season, saying, "Our guys have done really great this season. All the kids have worked hard and put in lots of effort; from the more experienced number one and number two, to the guys who are just starting, we have had a great run. Now we look forward to the post-season."

The Honkers host Sutter on Tuesday afternoon while Orland faces off against Gridley on Tuesday, also at home.

CONTACT Emily Saint-Evens at 824-7990 or esaintevens@tcnpress.com.