A close playing venue gave us the luxury of an extra hour or so of sleep. And it was primo and precioso. Thinking it was (too) close by, we didn't factor in some time to get coffee. So we dropped off Jake, then proceeded to the closest Peet's to got that much needed caffeine. When we got back, we were lucky to find an open parking spot close to where everyone wanted to be.
For this tourney, our assignment was to bring bread (I got 3 long loaves) and condiments (mustard and mayo), including peanut butter and strawberry jam.
Our first match was against Clovis 15-1 (8th). I guess the boys were still half asleep with the extra hour they had because they lost in 3 sets. What happened??? Then came an even bigger shocker. We played Bay's own 16-2 (2nd), and lost in straight sets. But the boys managed to put up a good fight, I thought. End of pool play.
Energized with some food, but hardly a decent lunch, the boys were up and about for the bracket play, beginning with a 2-set win over Sunset 16-1 (7th). The energy carried over to the next match, but it wasn't enough, as the boys bowed to MVVC 15-1 (3rd). Then, some more eating, resting, and chatting for the boys. Parents included.
Next match was a sweet revenge as we defeated Clovis in the second encounter. Boys were much more poised and alert. I still couldn't figure out what happened to them in the earlier match. But it was all good. The final match in the bracket had no bearing, but a win would have been great. We lost to Aloha 16-1 (6th).
Running chatter among some parents was the venue for the next tournament. If we remained in Silver
division, we were headed for charming Clovis. To avoid the dreaded 2.5-3 hour drive, we either had to win over higher-ranked teams to move up to Gold and a trip to San Francisco, or to lose to lower-ranked teams or not win any match at all and move down to Bronze for a drive to Pleasant Hill.
Of course, it was all in jest. As a matter of fact, I do want to see what Clovis has to offer.
At the end of the day, we remained in 5th place in Silver. So off to Clovis we go.
Despite the food we had at the tailgate, we were starving. Nothing against the food we had, but our internal system was jsut used to something else. From SJCC, we grabbed a late lunch at Basil Leaf for a Vietnamese fixe. A quick pit stop at home to freshen up, then it was on to St. Joseph for the youth mass.
It was another long 14-hour day, but I surely didn't mind the drive -- all 15 miles of it. Now, I have to prepare for the next tournament, and that dreaded, much-hated trek to Clovis.
Note: Author wishes to acknowledge the City of Clovis for the illustration used in this post.
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