Although the Aragon Dons suffered a tough loss against the Mills Vikings, the Dons were still able to perform well at PALs after their 12-5 season in the Bay division, even allowing a select few to continue on to the Central Coast Sections (CCS).
Half of the varsity team — the top two seats in all the events for varsity boys and girls — were able to qualify for the Bay PAL Championship. Seniors Erwin Sarmiento and Bobby Sato placed third in the Bay and Ocean divisions, allowing them to qualify to compete in men’s doubles at CCS. Also, seniors Ryan Cheng and Bryanna Mendoza placed fourth in the Ocean Division after qualifying in Bay for mixed doubles, and Sophomore Michelle Zhang won both Bay and Ocean for a seat at the upcoming CCS tournament.
According to head coach Linda Brown, the individual’s’ unique contributions made the team as successful as they were this season. “There was a lot of leadership in the team this year,” says Brown. “The seniors were able to step up, and there was a lot of hard work and good effort from the team this season.” Brown was keen on emphasizing hitting and mentality during practice, and taught her players how to change the pace of the game and exhaust the opponent by hitting the birdie to different corners of the court.
The players knew they had their work cut out for them as they would compete against the Carlmont Scots and the Mills Vikings, schools that received a unanimous consensus as being especially tough competition because of the quality and diversity of technique they bring to the Bay Division. The most memorable moments from their season was rather unorthodox as the Westmoor Rams unexpectedly beat Aragon during their first meet. “Westmoor just moved back up from the lower division last year, and we were definitely caught off guard by how much they improved,” says Ho. For Sarmiento, this meet was transitional into his current mindset as he was reminded of the consequences that come with underestimating one’s opponents.
This season, the team invested a notable effort toward achieving their goals for this season. Says Sarmiento, “I just kept setting goals, and I planned on achieving them by training hard and not missing practice.”
Senior Samantha Ho says, “My goal was to get on the ladder and score for my team, and I knew I couldn’t do it if I didn’t show up to practice and train hard.” Overall, the consistent effort put in by Ho and Sarmiento allowed them to perform consistently and effectively against most of their competition.
The season was also one filled with lots of changes and adjustments for the team as they worked on adapting to new strategies and new partnerships. “Doubles depends a lot on how you work together, and playing with another person for the first time is very different,” says Ho. “It was kind of difficult adjusting to a new partner halfway through the season because I had to look for a new doubles partner.”
Says Sarmiento, “I had to adjust my footwork a lot this season in order to keep up and get the points.” He also worked a lot on improving his backhand swing, a common weakness for most badminton players.
Sato and Sarmiento, Cheng and Mendoza, and Zhang look forward to competing in CCS on May 14 in San Jose.
Update: Sophomore Michelle Zhang placed 2nd in the CCS tourney, earning a spot in the NorCal Championships.
