Playing against a state-ranked team is no cakewalk. The varsity tennis team has known this for years while facing their biggest rivals: the Forest Hills Northern Huskies. Not just one man can win it for the team; it takes encouraging teammates and strategy to win against a team like FHN. 

While FHC lost 2-6, there were critical moments in the matches. Senior captain Sammy Yin is no stranger to FHN, and his past against the Huskies helped fuel his determination to beat their one singles player. 

“My opponent and I have a long history, going all the way back to 10s and 12s,” Sammy explained. “I have played him in pretty much every tournament that we have signed up for, and as of today, I still have no losses to him.” 

FHN has been a long-time rival of FHC in many sports, and tennis is no exception. The Huskies have triumphed over the Rangers the past few years in many duels. Statistically, FHN has always been stronger than FHC, but that didn’t deter the boys from playing with passion. 

Both doubles and singles struggled on the courts today, even with solid gameplay. The team’s downfall came from the mental game. With the energy level lowering across the matches, the Huskies took the lead and ran. Senior Max Cooper began his match with his partner on a high note by winning the first set 6-2. However, once the energy was gone, so was the match. 

“We gave in and got frustrated,” Max explained. “Northern keeps a consistent strategy no matter what, which is getting to the net. The rest of the match came to us not keeping that same energy and playing level. Nerves also came into play after we missed one or two shots; we would get down on ourselves or be over-excited over huge opportunities.”

Despite a tough loss, varsity tennis still has the conference tournament. The team will need confidence, determination, and leadership to go far. As a captain, Sammy must lead by example with his playstyle and personality. He always talks highly of his team’s skills. With his leadership, state champions could be a title for the Rangers to earn. 

“We are looking good, individually and as a team. We have been performing strong,” Sammy said. “I have a good feeling about our future. What important is that we treat all of our matches the same, and regardless of the regular season or playoffs.”

Varsity tennis looks to bounce back in the OK White Conference Tournament at FHN and FHC on Friday, September 30, at 8:30 a.m. FHN will be seen again, and the Rangers don’t plan on repeating the past.