The Branson Boys Tennis Team capped their undefeated regular season by winning the Northern California Section (NCS) Division 2 title. After defeating Athenian HS and Sonoma Academy in the first 2 rounds, the Bulls went on to down Piedmont in the semis, and then University HS in the NCS Finals. With this win, the Bulls finished their season with a perfect 25-0 record.  

Match #25 NCS Final: Branson Bulls Versus University Red Devils 

Saturday May 13, 2023 San Anselmo, CA

The Boys Tennis team, sporting their Branson white shirts, played a tough Red Devils team in their NCS Finals match at San Domenico last Saturday. After the initial match lineup ceremony and guidance from coaches Chrissie Costamagna and Jeff Birkenseer, the team circled up, arms over arms, took instructions from the captains, and shouted “LET’S GET TROPICAL” in their traditional pre-match huddle. After that, the team was all business…

Match Summary: 

Singles 3: Sophomore Chase Hoeveler came out firing on all cylinders and never let up to triumph 6-0, 6-0.  

Singles 4: Sophomore Ishwar Jayaraman played a very steady, focused and one-sided match to win 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles 2: The Brothers Stovell comprised of Pete (Senior) and James (Sophomore) played a tough Red Devil team falling 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles 3: Juniors Oliver Goldman and Andrew Peng played tough and won big in a 6-0, 6-2 rout.

Doubles 1: Sophomores Leighton Fraser and Tommy Higgins played a strong Red Devil team with a top ten CA ranked singles player on the Ad side. This match had many great points and close games, but the steady play and great volleys of messieurs Fraser and Higgins were too strong on this day bringing a 6-2, 6-2 Bulls win.

Singles 2: Senior Max Goldman played a very steady Red Devil opponent dropping both sets 6-2, 6-2.

Singles 1: Senior Jeffrey Huang played his first set, and then retired to celebrate the 4-3 win with his teammates.

Congratulations to the entire Branson Boys Tennis Team and Coaches for an unforgettable 25-0 season, and a big thank you to the ever-present student fans and parent volunteers led by Diana Peng and Georgina Goldman. As many of us know, perfect seasons don’t “just” happen. This was a community effort with the school, coaches, parents and especially the players committing to practice and match schedules throughout the season. We look forward to seeing both the 2023 MCAL and NCS Championship banners raised in the Branson Gym. Finally, a big thank you to our 3 senior captains for leading by example, and for setting a gold standard for future Branson teams.

2023 Branson Boys Tennis Team Roster 

•  Coaches: Chrissie Costamagna and Jeff Birkenseer 
•  Captains/Seniors: Max Goldman, Jeffrey Huang, Pete Stovell 
• Juniors: Oliver Goldman, Andrew Peng, Henry Lien, Kasra Panahi, Ryder Lariviere, Alexander Golden, William Mueth 
• Sophomores: Chase Hoeveler, Tommy Higgins, Leighton Fraser, James Stovell, Ishwar Jayaraman, Roshan Belani, Tyler Yang, Noah Metzger, Ganon Wells
• Freshmen: Hudson Blechman, Cal Keenley, Zander Alpert, Grant Kruttschnitt, Jordan Schomer, Mait Wais, Jordan Schomer, Cooper Little, Chris Mao, Derin Demirkol, Aiden Ding