Stepping onto the tennis court and seeing the competition, only to realize it’s a good friend can be both thrilling and comforting. The match against Boerne High School included both rivalries and reunions among players from each team.
After Boerne High School was reclassified as a 5A school, athletes from Champion and Boerne now compete against each other in almost every sport.
“We will play in basketball, volleyball, baseball, everything but football,” Assistant Principal Matt Clayton said.
Due to this classification change, Boerne and Champion now compete against each other on the tennis court. Freshman JV player Sofi Rubio had a match against Boerne previously in the tennis season, and playing them again was something she was looking forward to.
“I was excited to play against my friends; it gave me more motivation to fight for the win, and on the court it’s Greyhounds against Chargers, but off the court it’s the Boerne community bond that we share.” Rubio said.
CHS JV player Boone Sills and BHS player Miller Donnelly played a match that included some tension, as Sills was eager to compete against his friend of over a year.
“I was excited because I wanted to beat him, and he told his coach I was cheating, but we had fun the whole time,” Sills said. “We lost to Boerne in Varsity, so it felt good to beat them in JV.”
Sills won 8-3 against his close friend from Boerne High, contributing to the Junior Varsity team’s overall win in the District Championship. After losing to Boerne earlier in the season, the Champion players were excited to have made a comeback. This was the first official JV district tournament, and Champion High School took the win.
“This would be the first year that we did a true District Championship, and it’s been a while since we’ve actually won it,” head tennis coach, Joey Cantu said. “I think anytime you compete, it helps bring out the best in both teams and both players, so by competing against each other, it will motivate kids to want to be better.”
