The 2025 Imperial Valley League Girls’ Tennis Team champion, Vincent Memorial Catholic High Scots, claimed six of the twelve All-IVL Girls’ Team Tennis medals at the IVL’s Individual and Doubles Championship tournament this fall.
The 2025 IVL Championships Tournament saw the top singles and doubles teams seeded in a win-and-advance format that was played on the Dickerson Courts at Central High.
The IVL Championships were held following the completion of the IVL season that saw the undefeated Scots under coach Beatriz Fimbres capture the IVL team tennis title with a record of 12-0.
Second place in 2025 went to the Southwest Eagles (10-2) girls’ tennis team, whose only IVL losses were to the Scots, with the Central Spartans (8-4) finishing third, followed by the Calexico Bulldogs (6-6), the Brawley Wildcats (4-8), the Holtville Vikings (1-11), and the Imperial Tigers (1-11).
Vincent Memorial continued its dominance of the 2025 Girls’ Tennis season as it captured first and second place in singles behind the play of senior Romina Rodriguez, who defeated Scot teammate junior Ana Karen Lopez Fimbres in the singles championship match.
For her efforts at the finals and throughout the IVL team match season, Rodriguez was voted Co-Player of the Year along with Central Spartan junior Camila Gonzales by the IVL coaches.
“They each (got the same) amount of votes (three) at the IVL Tournament by the coaches,” IVL Championship Director and Central girls’ coach Dan Williams said. “There were four or five singles players who could have gotten votes, and the coaches split between Romina and Camilla, with Regina Gomez from Southwest also getting a vote.”
In the doubles team championship match at the 2025 IVL Championship Tournament, it was also an all-Vincent Memorial final match, with the sophomore doubles duo of Ana Karen Trejo and Maria Jose Garcia defeating fellow Scots senior Aspasia Elorduy and junior Romina Falla.
By competing in the IVL Girls’ Individual and Doubles Tournament finals, the six Vincent Memorial players earned 2025 All-IVL medals.
Joining Central’s Co-Player of the Year Gonzales in earning 2025 All-IVL Girls’ Tennis honors were Spartan junior Catherine Chavez and sophomore Hailey Arevelo.
Representing Southwest Eagles on the All-IVL Girls Tennis Team were Gomez, a junior; Eagle senior Isabella Gerardo; and the 2025’s only freshman to garner All-IVL honors, Ivanna Gerardo.
For his efforts in leading Central to a second-place finish this season, Williams was voted the IVL’s 2025 Coach of the Year.
“Tennis is my lifestyle… I still play tournaments at 53 years old… I started when I was nine, and the match I played was in a tournament,” Williams said. “I have a competitive side, but when I’m coaching, I’m there to help my players…but after I make the lineup, it’s up to them.”
A Central alum, Williams played number-one singles for the Spartans for four boys’ team tennis seasons from 1988 through 1990, under legendary coach John Lehton.
Lehton led Central to the CIF Southern Section 2A Finals three times (1972, 1975, & 1974) before winning the only CIF-SS boys tennis championship in Valley history in 1976.
“Coach Lethon, his record speaks for itself,” Williams said. “I think everyone loved playing for him, and he coached multiple sports; he was just a good coach, no matter what the sport.”
Under Lehton, Williams and his teammates from the 1988 season through 1990 posted a regular-season record of 46-3, and in his senior year in 1991, the Spartans went 16-0 under coach Bob Macholtz.
“We never made it to the Southern Section finals… we’d go a round or two and then run into one of those schools from the LA area and lose,” Williams said of playing in the then 600-plus school Southern Section.
Williams, in his 26th season as boys’ and girls’ tennis coach at Central, sees himself as carrying on the Spartan tradition of his coaches.
“For the boys, it’s been way over 55 years, and there have only been three boys coaches… I try to do the best I can do with the players I have; it’s not about competition, it’s all about Central.”