Portola captures program’s first CIF title and school’s second with win over Viewpoint

Portola players show their CIF championship awards Friday afternoon. (Photo courtesy Portola athletics)

Portola High School’s boys tennis team brought home the program’s first CIF title Friday, defeating Viewpoint 11-7 in the Division 2 final at Calabasas High School.

“Our Portola girls clinched the title for CIF-SS D3 title in 2019 and now we are so pleased to add one more championship title to our school’s history,” said Portola Coach Natasha Schottland.

“Our top singles player AJ Moore (who also won league finals for the PCL and is moving on into CIF individuals in June) swept in singles with scores of 6-3, 6-0 and 6-1. His last match against Viewpoint’s number one, Owen Kolbrehnek, brought our overall score to 10 which solidified our win.

“Our number one doubles team, Sam Ferreira and Alyan Ashraf swept with scores of 6-3, 6-2 and 6-1. And our number two doubles team, Chris Li and Rishi Vridhachalam, swept as well with scores of 6-2, 7-5 and 6-1. Our captain, Prayag Ahire, defeated Viewpoint’s number three with a score of 6-1.”

Schottland said the Bulldogs knew what they had to do going into the match.

“Overall, Viewpoint was an extremely tough opponent and I knew we needed a strong start at the beginning of the match to help set the tone for the other two rounds,” she said. “Once we had a 4-2 lead after the first round, it was up to the doubles to keep the pressure on their opponents and fight for every ball.

“Because our league is so competitive, the players are used to having to grind on the court and problem solve in the moment. They brought their all and were rewarded at the end. I am extremely proud to be a part of such an incredible program and have the support of Coach (Peter) Abe and the rest of the administration and school behind us.”

Abe, Portola’s athletic director, said he was proud of the team’s achievement. Abe said it was the second CIF title for the school, the first being the girls tennis title in 2019. Schottland was also the coach of that team.

“Now we are proud to say the boys program has followed suit bringing home a championship of their own in 2021,” Abe said. “We couldn’t be more proud of coach and the team for an awesome display of sportsmanship and admirable character throughout a relentless pursuit of excellence this past year, under the most adverse of conditions during a global pandemic. These Bulldogs were a joy to watch the entire season! Can’t wait to see what Coach Schottland and the Bulldog tennis program can do as we continue to grow our young programs.”

Portola (18-4) also had playoff victories over Aliso Niguel (13-5), Windward (14-4), Dos Pueblos (10-8) and Simi Valley (17-1).

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com