On Monday, March 27, the boys’ varsity tennis team dominated their longtime rival, San Rafael, on the Giants’ home courts. Redwood won every singles and doubles match, leading the team to victory. Redwoods’ players put up a strong performance on the court while their team members were cheering them on from the sidelines. 

Theo Mazziotta and his partner Austin Feehan started off the match strong and won with a score of 6-4 and 6-1. Mazziotta is a sophomore and has been playing tennis since he was six years old. He shares how there is mutual respect between the players and the coach, which creates a very positive environment.

“Coach Craig Flax always starts off the year saying, ‘you guys are all men, so I’m going to treat you like a man,’” said Mazziotta.

Jack Taylor is a senior on the team and says his favorite part about the team is the friendships and community that have been created. Taylor and his partner blew their opponents away with a score of 6-0 in both sets.

“One great thing about our team is we are always supporting each other and lifting each other up. [Coach Flax] is a very positive and community-oriented coach who has built up the community on the team,” said Taylor.

Taylor and Mazziota both agree the team has a very unique and uplifting environment, which therefore leads the team to have better connections and feel more comfortable around each other. Taylor also discussed that Flax is a very community-oriented coach, which leads to everyone feeling worthy and a part of the team.

Flax has been coaching since 2015 and speaks highly of the team and community. His coaching style has led to winning multiple Marin County Athletic League championships.

“I tend to be more of a strategic coach, so a lot of what I do here is about the [team] culture. A lot of the players tend to get in their heads during the matches so I always give them some extra motivation. My teaching strategy is very dependent on who the player is. I want the boys to have a really fun time while they’re here, as long as they take personal responsibility for putting in the work, taking the game seriously, respecting their school, and then we have a lot of fun,” said Flax.

The boys’ varsity tennis team now looks to their next matches this week, against Archie Williams on Wednesday, March 29th, at home and Terra Linda on Friday, March 31st, at Terra Linda.