Turlock High senior Peter Wilson has finally captured the title that has eluded him for the past three years of his varsity tennis career. 

After a nearly two-hour match against Downey’s Brady Black in the finals of the 2024 Central California Athletic League singles tournament on Thursday afternoon at Modesto Junior College, Wilson was showered with ice-cold water by teammates after pulling out the win in three sets (7-5, 5-7, 6-3).

“It makes me so happy to finally get this,” Wilson said. “I've been really hungry for this way for a long time, and to come off like crazy matches (on the first day of the tournament Tuesday), come in here and take care of business. Winning just feels amazing.”

Thursday’s marathon match was the third straight year Wilson qualified for the finals. He lost to former teammate Joe Chan in each instance. As he predicted more than a week ago after wrapping up regular season team competition against Pitman, this year was different.

Against Black on Thursday, which was a rematch from earlier this season in which Wilson won in a pair of 7-5 sets, the Turlocker jumped ahead early in the first set after getting several of Black’s returns to land outside the lines.  But come the second set, Black came on strong to earn a 7-5 win of his own, scattering Wilson in all directions and forcing several of the Turlock senior’s shots to land short of clearing the net.

In the deciding third set, Wilson’s elite conditioning — developed during his years as a member of the Bulldog basketball program — proved to be the difference. The Downey senior sent several shots into the net and, while on the run, landed several returns outside the lines. 

“Compared to last time, (Black) definitely was playing more aggressive, attacking some weaknesses. But I tried to adapt and work some serving volume into my game, trying to get at the net and finish points earlier to give him the advantage too much. And it was pretty back-and-forth. I would get a break and he would get a break and then it was just kind of a grudge match. It was a good fight. Much respect to him,” Wilson said.

“It was super emotional for me because they were just so close till the very end,” said Turlock head coach Garry Harris. “I'm just happy that it went in our favor today and so happy for Peter because he has been dreaming about this very moment for so long.

“I knew that (Wilson) is super athletic, which was to his advantage in a third set and not a 10-point OT. He’s just a tremendous athlete, and that’s how he was able to pull it out. I’m so proud of him.”

Wilson’s win came just a day after teammate Erik Peterson claimed the league’s third-place singles medal due to his opponent, Akhil Patel of Enochs, forfeit the match due to cramps that first arose in the overtime period of his semifinal meeting against Wilson. Patel’s day off was just enough for him to return to Thursday’s double tournament, where he and partner Eduardo Diaz came away with the victory.

Wilson and the rest of his teammates will be back in action at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday when they host the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section team playoffs. The Bulldogs were a perfect 12-0 during the regular season. The section’s individual playoffs, which Wilson and Peterson will take part in, will get underway on May 13 from the Johnson Racquetball Club in Roseville.