Rancho Mirage girls’ tennis ready for new challenges this season
The Rattlers have a CIF-SS championship, a CIF-SS runner-up and have won four straight De Anza League titles. But here in 2018, they face a new challenge in a new league.
Rancho Mirage will compete in the Desert Empire League which will be a lot more competitive than what they’ve faced in the past. With that said, RM is still a strong program and are led by their head coach Owen McIntosh who is confident in his team.
“We’re going to be competitive. I don’t care what league you put us in,” McIntosh said.
“Certainly it’s going to be more difficult, certainly it’s going to be more challenging but I don’t see a whole lot of difference in terms of the team’s effort level and what they produce.”
Rancho Mirage will have a hard time winning the league, especially having to face Palm Desert. The Aztecs are a powerhouse program, coached by Owen’s daughter, Morgan. PD is the undeniable favorite, but RM is embracing the opportunity to try and knock them off.
“I think we need to practice a little more and then we will be confident enough but I’m really excited to get more competition this year,” said junior No. 1 singles player Antonella Mazzotti.
“I know it’s going to be super hard but I think as a team we’re going to do really good because we’ve progressed so much after a couple practices and we’re doing a lot better,” said junior Eliana Harvey.
We all know the Rattlers know how to win, given their recent run of success. But whether or not they can do it at the same level in this new league remains to be seen.
