District Tennis Coach of the Year Ralph Bolton coached his final Blue Griffin match on Saturday—the doubles consolation match of the boys 4A State Tournament, in which Jackson Friedland ’25 and Henry Kaufman ’25 earned third place, and the boys team lifted the tournament’s second place trophy. The tournament also marked the final matches for Ralph’s son, senior Jonas Anderson-Joyner, who won a major upset in his quarterfinal match to make it to the semis and finish fourth overall. In the girls tournament, Andrea Voinescu ’25 finished third.
“There’s so much I’ll miss playing for my dad,” Jonas said following Ralph’s final match as coach. “The most is probably just spending time together. Not necessarily talking about tennis, but life and what we think about random things.” And Ralph, who has spent the past several decades coaching tennis around the state, says he’s ready to step back and welcomes a change of pace. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world. I’ve got beauty in my life; I’ve had so many fulfilling relationships with players and people.”