Jaclyn Guzmán

Staff Writer

 For the first time in 8 years, the Eagle Pass High School tennis team was first in the district. 

The team clenched the first place title before even going into the district playoffs, with scores of 12-1 overall and  6-0 in district.   

The EPHS tennis team, trained by Head Coach Robert Gonzalez and Assistant Coach Ruben Martinez, continuously makes the playoffs, but it had been a while since the team had won district.  The team was able to sweep many of the matches at the beginning of the season, but the closer the district tournament came, the closer the scores were. The Eagles came out 11-8 against Laredo Alexander, 10-9 against Del Rio, and 11-8 against Laredo United. 

“This district is very top heavy. If you’re one of the top teams, it’s going to be a fight. That’s what happened,” said Gonzalez. 

Quality competitors like Laredo Alexander, Laredo United, and Del Rio have a distinct advantage because many of their players are able to practice at country clubs, said Gonzalez. 

Athletes Ale Rueda, Leslie Riojas, Emily Chavarria, Paola Gutierrez, Briana Baca, Edwin Pua, Jacob Wright, and Rj Aguirre have helped the team win during such tight matches, said Gonzalez.  Next on the Eagles’ schedule, JV will be traveling to Laredo this weekend for a competition, and the following week on October 14 and 15, playoffs will begin, with 18 teams competing for a chance to advance to regionals.

Gonzalez also mentioned the courts at both high schools would be getting resurfaced, and hoped that this would mean less traveling for the team, who almost never have home games because of the lack of facilities. Better courts could lead to Eagle Pass hosted tournaments, and more money for local businesses like hotels and restaurants, said Gonzalez.