The Dos Pueblos High School boys varsity tennis team defeated Westlake High School in the California Interscholastic Federation Division 4 Championship finals on May 15, 2026. The team defeated Westlake in a 10-8 victory with 7-9 sets in singles, and 3-9 sets in doubles, claiming the first boys tennis division title in school history.

Doubles partners Heath Montgomery (9) and Arman Entezari (10) agreed that a “big factor” helping them win was the team’s dedication to spending time on drills and technique, as well as their communication.

“[Westlake] was probably our toughest match in the CIF path because their doubles [teams played] really well, as well as their singles,” Entezari said. “They didn’t have many weak spots.”

According to Entezari, the biggest challenge was staying in a positive mindset and being able to maintain energy while playing three matches during the championship.

“A lot of the challenge comes mentally, because it’s hard to bounce back from a loss or continue on with the point, tough calls too,” Brendan Gordon (9) said. “[Westlake] was a hard team to beat, they allocated their players well.”

Ciaran Tober-Bridges (9), who played three singles matches, said that the most difficult part of going against Westlake was the physical exhaustion the sets had on him. Additionally, Tober-Bridges played a very skilled opponent in one of his matches, which resulted in a long-lasting game.

“Our singles [players] had some tough matches and got some good sets on people. They exceeded the expectations at points,” Entezari said. “Ciaran’s last match was against a high-ranked player and he ended up winning, which clinched the whole thing for us. It was really something incredible to watch.”

According to the varsity players, they hope for more encouragement from teammates and the sidelines in future games.

“When we would go to away matches, [the sidelines] would be way louder than ours, they would have people there cheering for them,” Entezari said. “We need to be louder than our opponents and cheer each other on more. When I saw someone else win a point on another court I would congratulate them. Getting more hyped was what I think got us in their heads a little bit. It was one of our key factors in winning.”

Gordon added that with the intense atmosphere because of finals, the hype and cheering from both teams was a good addition, even with the high stakes.

“[Winning CIF finals] means a lot,” Montgomery said. “It was the first one ever, it’s awesome. We made history. Even though we clown around a lot, we genuinely have a really good team.”

The team returned to school after their victory and will now play games against each other until their season ends.

“It’s really cool being a freshman and having the opportunity to be in CIF, and winning [CIF] is a whole other level,” Gordon said. “It makes it really motivating to continue playing.”