Falcons send two to CCS, finish season with hope for next year

Ending their season with a 21-9 loss to Cupertino on May 14, the Falcons finished seventh in the SCVAL league with a 3-9 record.

On May 23, the Falcons’ varsity No. 1 boys’ doubles pair, junior Partha Shah and sophomore Josh Li, finished second among the 53 teams in boys’ doubles in league finals. Coming into leagues unseeded, the pair defeated the No. 1 seeded team from Lynbrook and continued on to play in semifinals and finals.

As they finished among the top four teams in boys’ doubles, they will be competing in CCS on May 29-30 at Independence High School.

“When we realized we were playing the number one seed, we were really worried because we lost to them [in previous school games],” Shah said. “However, we knew that if we worked hard enough we could beat them, and it paid off.”

Although two players earned spots in CCS, the team as a whole struggled this year, suffering several big losses. During  their last two games, they fell 28-2 to Monta Vista on May 12 and 24-6 to Los Altos on May 7.

The team, however, was happy with the results, as this year was a rebuilding one for the Falcons.

“Considering the circumstances we were under, I think everyone played their best this season,” assistant coach Chris Do said. “A majority of our team was new to the varsity atmosphere, so I’m proud of the progress we’ve made.”

Despite struggling to find new coaches, losing 14 varsity alumni and adjusting to new lineups, the Falcons were able to send 25 players to league finals on May 20-22 at Monta Vista High School.

Next year, Do said the team will focus on conditioning and work on the players’ endurance, implementing more drills during practice. Do said many players have potential to do better, but have not had enough training to increase their stamina at games.

“This year, we had so many close games, but our players tended to get tired at the end and not hold on to a close win,” Do said. “If we work on this next year, we will definitely improve our records.”

As the season wraps up, many of the seniors this year, such as varsity boys’ doubles No. 2 pair Maximilian Chang and Kevin Lian are reminiscing in the nostalgia of the past four years of partnership.

“Looking back on the four years of badminton, I could not have asked for a better person to play doubles with,” Chang said. “We have built a bond of respect that has transcended badminton and strengthened our relationship as friends.”

With the loss of five varsity senior players, the team anticipates many strong rising JV players, such as girls’ doubles No. 1 pair sophomores Ellicia Chiu and Rosita Fu, to move up into varsity next year. 

“I’m looking forward to next year's badminton season because of the positive atmosphere and friendly competitive spirit,” Chiu said. “Hopefully [Fu and I] can improve and move up to varsity next year, since playing higher level players will definitely help us grow as players.”