Rockbridge County High School boys tennis players Joe Vargas and Jaxon Johnson concluded their season last Wednesday, with Vargas falling in the Region 3C singles tournament and the duo losing in the regional doubles tournament, both in the first round. The tournaments took place at Heritage High School in Lynchburg.
In singles, Vargas suffered a 6-1, 6-1 loss to Monticello’s Eamon McElfresh. Five days earlier, when the Wildcats had lost to Monticello 5-0 in the first round of the Region 3C team tournament in Lexington, Vargas had played Monticello’s Jackson Landen, who had beaten the RC sophomore 6-4, 6-1. Landen missed the regional singles and doubles tournaments because he was in Puerto Rico, but RC head coach Scott Youngdahl said the 6-foot-3-inch McElfresh, a left-hander, “was playing really well.”
Vargas, on the other hand, “didn’t have his A-game,” said Youngdahl, wrapping up his third year of coaching the Wildcats. “Sometimes, it happens when you play on the road, you travel, and your body hasn’t quite woken up.”
The RC coach said Vargas was making too many unforced errors and wasn’t getting his footwork right. “It’s hard to tell somebody to do that when you’re playing against a guy of that quality,” said Youngdahl.
As the Wildcats’ No. 1 singles player, Vargas finished the season with a record of 13-3, going 13-1 in the Shenandoah District.
In doubles, McElfresh teamed up with Max Kofler to earn a 6-2, 6-3 win over Vargas and Jaxon Johnson.
Johnson, a senior, provided a boost, and the first set was tied at 2-2 before the Monticello duo pulled away. The second set was on serve, with Johnson serving as he and Vargas trailed 4-3, but the Mustangs broke his serve and sealed the victory by winning one more game.
Youngdahl said Kofler was tough because he “had a crazy strong forehand. He had a rifle.” The RC coach added that both Monticello players were obviously the product of many hours of private lessons.
As the Wildcats’ No. 1 doubles team, Vargas and Johnson finished with a record of 12-3, going 12-2 in the Shenandoah District.
It was a solid season for the Wildcats, who went 9-6, going 9-5 in their first year in the Shenandoah District.
“Coming into a team that had graduated the top three players last year, the [Valley District] singles and doubles players of the year, we had big shoes to fill,” Youngdahl said. Last year, the Wildcats went 12-5 and made it to the Region 3C quarterfinals before falling 5-3 to Turner Ashby.
The Wildcats will miss their three seniors who just graduated: Johnson, Fafatas and Tyler Watson. Playing high school tennis for the first time, Fafatas had a strong season at No. 3 singles, and Watson played well at No. 4 singles in his second year of tennis. “Tyler made big strides in his game,” said Youndahl. Fafatas and Watson teamed up at No. 2 doubles. Johnson was RC’s No. 2 singles and had a successful four-year career with the Wildcats.
Youngdahl looks forward to the development of his younger players, led by Vargas, rising juniors Rachit Yakkanti, Elliott Allen and Jacob Barney; and rising sophomores Timothy Simon and Piero Vilca Silva. Yakkanti played at No. 5 singles this year, while Allen played at No. 6. Barney played some at No. 3 doubles.
Grateful for the help of his assistant coach, Brian Barney, Youngdahl said, “He’s the heart and soul of the team. He’s always up, and I’ve learned a lot from him, as well as the players.”
