Saint Andrew's tennis fans, get ready to celebrate a truly historic achievement. Junior Rafa Bote has pulled off something incredibly rare in high school tennis—the triple crown. And he did it in style.
Just one day after leading the Scots to a nail-biting 4-3 team championship victory over rival True North of Miami, Bote stepped back onto the court at Sylvan Lake Park in Sanford. He didn't just rest on his laurels. He went out and dominated, securing his second straight state 1A individual singles title with a commanding 6-1, 6-1 win over Miami Country Day's Lorenzo Lopez. Then, he teamed up with Colin Wheat to capture the doubles crown as well.
That's three titles in a 29-hour stretch, during which Bote played six grueling matches—singles and doubles in both the team semifinal and final, plus the individual singles and doubles finals. It's the kind of endurance and focus that separates good players from great ones.
"It's pretty awesome, especially considering the level of competition in this division," said Saint Andrew's coach Reid Rafter. "He's always been an incredible player and a big ball striker, but he's gotten stronger and more physical. His newfound power adds to his solid, nuanced game. You end up with an incredibly complete player."
Bote now joins an elite club at Saint Andrew's. Only two other Scots have achieved the triple crown: Sarah Snyder did it back-to-back in 2020 and 2021, and her brother Nico Snyder completed the feat just last year. That's some pretty exclusive company.
The team victory was especially sweet for the Scots. Both the boys and girls teams edged True North by identical 4-3 scores on Thursday, with the girls stopping True North's quest for a fourth straight state title. Rafter noted the changing landscape of high school tennis, where some schools field teams of online or home-school students. "It feels great to win as a real high school team with full-time students," he said.
As for Bote's future? The junior is already drawing serious interest from top Division I programs. "He's talking to some of the best tennis programs in the country right now," Rafter added. With a triple crown on his resume and a game that keeps getting better, it's easy to see why.