The boys’ tennis team triumphed over Branson 5-4 in the MCAL finals on April 29 and reclaimed the league title they lost last year due to forfeit.

The match came down to the very end, featuring a faceoff that included Redwood’s top player, junior Mitchell Heckmann. After losing the first set, Heckmann came back and won the final two sets to clinch the victory.

According to Heckmann, the team became more confident and gained experience under first-year coach Annika Viragh, which contributed to their late run in the MCAL tournament.

“[Junior] Bennett Canady and [senior] Nelson Oewel both played really tough players and came out on top,” Heckmann said.

After winning the final match, Heckmann said that his teammates rallied around him in excitement.

“I was shocked for at least 30 minutes,” Heckmann said. “Branson has a very good team, and truthfully, I did not expect that we would beat them.”

Heckmann noted that the team will move onto the NCS tournament.

“We do not know yet whom we are going to face in NCS,” Heckmann said. “There are some pretty good teams out there and hopefully we can make a run [in NCS].”

Next year, Redwood will look to improve upon what has already been a successful year, as 10 of the 12 players who played in the MCAL tournament will return to the team next year.

“We are returning all six of our doubles players,” Heckmann said. “[Viragh] is going to continue to improve and our future is looking bright for next year.”