The Merced High boys tennis team spent the entire 2026 season building toward something much bigger than just another successful year. A season that included difficult nonleague matchups early in the spring, dominant league performances in April, and a deep postseason run in May, allowed the Bears to steadily develop into one of the strongest teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section. By the end of the season, that growth resulted in historic success as the Bears captured their first section championship since 1991.
The Bears were able to finish the year 13-5 overall and 10-0 in CCC play, but their season did not begin with immediate success. Early in the season, the Bears experienced tough losses to strong programs like Turlock, Pitman, Palm Desert, and Mountain House. These early losses exposed areas the team still needed to improve upon. However, those matches also helped shape the team into a tougher and more connected group as the season progressed.
One of the earliest moments that showed the team’s potential came during a match against Oakdale. Senior Ian Hansford explained that the Bears experimented with a different lineup strategy that day, with players competing not only against their normal position, but also against higher opponents. The results gave the team confidence against one of its strongest opponents. “We not only won almost all of our sets against our equal opponents, but we also won a lot of the sets against the higher opponents,” Hansford said. “A lot of the boys realized, ‘Oh man, this could be a really, really important season for us.’”
As the season continued into league play, Merced quickly established itself as the top team in the CCC. The Bears defeated Atwater, Golden Valley, Buhach Colony, El Capitan, and Los Banos multiple times during league play, often by dominant scores such as 9-0 and 8-1. Head coach Keith Tetangco believed one of the team’s biggest strengths was their depth from the top players. “Our number one, James Tetangco, is very, very good. Ian Hansford, our number two, was not far behind him… the two of them really helped push up Alejandro [Martinez] and Parth [Mishra].” Tetangco said. “Those top four honestly were probably better than most ones in our league. That really pushed other people down and made us stronger.”
The Bears’ singles lineup became the foundation of their success. James Tetangco finished 12-3 at No. 1 singles, while Hansford went 12-2 at No. 2 singles. Alejandro Martinez added a 10-3 record at No. 3 singles, and senior Parth Mishra finished undefeated at 5-0 in the No. 4 position after battling through a back injury for much of the past year and a half.
Mishra believed returning from injury gave the team another important boost midway through the season. After dealing with back issues for nearly a year and a half, the senior adjusted parts of his game to continue competing, including switching to an underhand serve. While this is often seen as a disadvantage in competitive tennis, Mishra used it strategically to keep opponents off balance and work around the pain in his back. The adjustment allowed him to remain effective in the lineup while helping strengthen the team. “[My return] really added a lot of depth to our team because it pushed most of our team down a spot, which gave us more chances to win at the lower spots,” Mishra said. “It gave the team a lot of motivation.”
While skill and hard work played a major role in Merced’s success, nearly every player pointed toward the team’s chemistry as the defining characteristic of the season. Hansford described the support from teammates during close matches as unlike anything he had experienced before. “In those key matches towards the end of sections, when it would be the deciding match in a tiebreak at the very end, our entire team would be lined up at the back fence cheering for every point,” Hansford said. “It was really special how much support there was for each other.”
Alejandro Martinez also emphasized how connected the team became throughout the year, both during practices and matches. “After every single one of our wins, we all get together and cheer on the team that’s still playing,” Martinez said. “That definitely helped them.”
As league play ended, the Bears entered the postseason carrying momentum and confidence. Merced defeated Sierra High 8-1 in the Division III first round before following it with a 7-2 victory over Woodcreek High to advance deeper into the playoffs. The season ultimately came down to the Division III section championship match against Kennedy High at University of the Pacific.
Merced’s top singles players once again delivered in the biggest moment of the season. James Tetangco, Ian Hansford, Alejandro Martinez, and Parth Mishra all earned victories to give the Bears a 4-2 lead. The final point came down to Merced’s No. 1 doubles team of Carlos Montanez and Gagandeep Singh, who secured the championship with a third-set tiebreak victory that clinched a 6-3 team win and the program’s first section championship in 35 years.
For many of the seniors, the moment carried years of emotion and unfinished business. Hansford remembered previous championship losses earlier in high school and how badly he wanted to finally bring home a title. “Every time I looked at those runner-up badges, I was like, I really need to go back there and win one,” Hansford said. “Being able to achieve such a huge achievement surrounded by people that we all care about so much is really meaningful.”
Mishra said the reality of the accomplishment fully hit him after seeing his coach’s emotional reaction following the victory. “I didn’t understand the magnitude of the win until after my coach reacted the way that he did,” Mishra said. “Many years and decades from now, people will look at our blue banner and they’ll be like, wow, they won for us. I can proudly say that I was on that winning team.”
When the last point scored for Merced, the Bears accomplished every goal they had set at the beginning of the year while experiencing one of the most significant seasons in program history. The Bears combined talent, depth, leadership, and chemistry to build a season they’ll be sure to remember for years to come.
- Photos provided by parents, players and Coach Keith Tetangco ↩︎
