The boys’ tennis team’s (9-2 league, 12-4 overall) friendship and camaraderie were on full display during their senior night match on Thursday, April 16, against Menlo-Atherton High School, which they won 6-1.

Every single player stayed until the match concluded, with the final No. 3 doubles match, played by senior Darren Wagner and junior Gregory Kozakov, coming down to a gritty ten-point super tiebreaker. The team’s cheers of “Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé” echoed throughout the court each time the duo scored a point. 

“It’s past 6:30, the matches started two and a half hours ago, but you still have 40 plus people on a court waiting for that last match to finish, and there’s really some unity there,” No. 3 singles player senior Alex Bozinovic said.

Following a win against Aragon High School on Tuesday, April 7 — previously the only undefeated team in the Bay Division — and another win against Carlmont High School on Tuesday, April 14, who they lost to earlier in the season, the Panthers carried momentum into their senior night match.

That momentum held through, as all three doubles partners defeated their Menlo Atherton opponents, and No. 1 singles sophomore Kaden Lam, Bozinovic, and No. 4 singles sophomore Collin Phonsombat won their matches comfortably, including first-set wins of 6-0 from Lam and Bozinovic.

“We learned how to compete, we learned how to win, we learned how to deal with a lot of different challenges… So, there’s some really good indications of just how much better we improved. I think, by playing smarter and learning how to deal with a lot of challenges that these teams bring on every day,” Stone said.

No. 1 doubles seniors Kieran Kilgo and Jake Druskin faced a tight first set, narrowly winning 7-6 in an intense tiebreak, but bounced back and won their second set 6-3.

“At the beginning of the match, I think we were playing kind of slow. We were giving them balls we shouldn’t have been giving them, and we were honestly just not in a good mental state,” Kilgo said. “But when it hit that tiebreak at the end there, I think something really clicked, and I think we were able to turn it around.”

Kilgo and Druskin began playing as a doubles pair at the end of their sophomore year, which Kilgo said contributes to their chemistry on the court.

“We’ve been good friends, and that chemistry sort of went over to the courts, and I think it’s been so good, we don’t even really have to talk to each other to know what we’re going to be going to be doing, what play we’re going to be running,” Kilgo said. “And I think it’s just that team chemistry has carried us throughout these two years, and I think it’s been a really crucial part of how we play the game.”

Kilgo, who has been playing varsity doubles since his freshman year, said his role on the team “has completely changed” over the years. Kilgo said he has gone from being a mentee to a mentor for his younger teammates, and noted he and Druskin have adopted an “older brother role” from last year’s seniors, organizing team breakfasts together and hanging out outside of school.

“I think it’s a really nice full circle moment there, and I really enjoy it. I have so much fun with everyone here. I love everyone on the team, and it’s just a great time to hang out,” Kilgo said.

As the post-season approaches, Kilgo said he believes the team has the potential to win the Peninsula Athletic League championship and hopes to make it to the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs as well.

“Last year, we made it to CCS as a team through berth, which was great. And I think that was the first time we’ve done that in over 10 years, 15 years, which is great, and I think we’re going to go farther than we went last year,” Kilgo said. “I think our team is amazing, and I think we have the grit and the want to make it that far.”

While nine seniors will be departing after this season, Stone emphasized how tight-knit the group is and the positive energy they bring to the court regardless of the result. 

“They’re just an amazing group of guys. They’re all so supportive of each other. They build amazing friendships, and win or lose, they are so, so good together,” Stone said. The game is a lot of fun for them, and they make it a lot of fun playing together, and the friendships that they’ve built on the court and off the court, I know that the friendship extends way beyond the tennis court.”