by Macade Maxwell, Sports Editor

When the school St. John Bosco comes to mind, most would often think about the powerhouse football program or the formidable basketball program. But an unsung team on campus would be tennis. 

This team has been steadily building its legacy year by year and making a unique story of its own. One made up of growth, determination and hard work put in behind the scenes that doesn’t always get noticed. 

Bosco tennis is slowly transforming from a small, under the radar team into a competitive, gritty team that can come out and show teams what they are made of. 

Head Coach Jacob Negro focuses on developing strong relationships with his players and developing them not only on the tennis court but off it as well. 

“For us, it’s not just about the wins and losses. It’s about building disciplined young men who are ready to compete in both tennis and in life. Every time we are out on the court is an opportunity to work on that,” said Coach Negro.

Unlike many other schools, the Braves do not have tennis courts on campus to practice and play on. Instead the team travels to the Lakewood Tennis Center everyday after school in order to get their work in. While some may feel like this is a setback, it builds character and shapes the team’s identity. 

“It’s not ideal, but it builds character,” said junior Noah Garcia. “Traveling to practice every day made us closer as a team, [and it] teaches us to be grateful for what we have.” 

The Braves capped off the 2024-2025 season, finishing with a 7-13 overall record while going 0-8 in the Trinity League, which features some of the toughest competition in California. Although it doesn’t show in their record, the Braves competed in each game and showed that they have what it takes to compete against the best. 

“I joined the tennis program in 2024 and have been a part of the team for two years now. When I first joined, it was sort of a rebuilding process with new players, coaches and opportunities to get back to being a top team in the Trinity League,” said senior Eratzmo Ovando. 

Looking past the losses were dominant victories, such as 13-5 over Hillcrest, 18-0 against Lynwood, 14-4 against Carson, 13-5 over Alhambra and 17-1 against Lakewood. These wins show the growth of the program, as they went totally winless two seasons ago. 

“This year, we won our first game in two years against Lynwood, and from there, we continued to win and fought hard all season,” said Eratzmo. “We only improved with the addition of new players with even greater talent. We went from not being able to win games to being able to actively compete against top teams in California.” 

A big part of this year’s success came from their senior class. The Braves had seven seniors leading the way for the team and bringing their experience in each match. A standout performer this year would be senior Ben Gillett.

As a singles player, he has to be on top of his game at all times. Gillett is a source of motivation and improvement for the whole team. 

While senior’s occupy most roster spots on the team, junior Diego Fonseca-Perez is captain of the squad. As captain, he assures that the team constantly stays focused on their goal: to get better and compete. 

“This is definitely a start to what we want to achieve. One of the team’s biggest accomplishments would be moving up in the rankings,” said Fonesca. “Last year, I believe were were top 350 and this year we finished in the top 100 in CIF rankings, so I definitely see the improvement.” 

Looking ahead, the Braves aren’t just focused on climbing up in the standings. They’re focused on setting a new standard for Bosco Tennis. They may not have all the resources, but the Braves have the will to get better and an unbreakable bond.