Panthers Tennis Team Could Provide Pleasant Surprise This Season

Before the tennis season starts, every team is undefeated.

And that's certainly the case for Collingswood High School’s varsity boys' tennis squad, which finished 2010 with a 10-8 overall record. With head coach Wesley Topeka entering his 11th season at the helm, however, the Panthers hope to keep their loss column empty for as long as they can in 2011.

Despite the fact that Collingswood remains in a conference with Haddonfield—a school Topeka claims “is tough to matchup against because their roster’s 20th member probably takes private lessons year round”—the veteran coach is optimistic. He has been pleasantly surprised with the play he's seen during early Panthers' practices.

“The potential with this team is through the roof,” said Topeka. “And I tell them all the time: They need to be as good as you can be. They can be as good as they want to be. It all depends on the little things. These guys don’t have to hit the ball at 10 miles per hour. We don’t need huge serves to be winners. We just need to be consistent."

With the team graduating its No. 1 singles player, Bobby Voigt, and No. 1 doubles competitor, Paul DelGesso, consistency is something Topeka hopes can come from returning juniors Peter Sive and Anthonie Wilson.

“(Sive and Wilson) showed a lot of potential last year,” said Topeka. “They both have decent strokes. It’s just the mental side that, I think, got the best of them last season. This year, I think they’ll be able to sustain it, and be more consistent. This year, so far, they’ve really been showing promise.”

In addition to the few returning Collingswood players that will take the court in 2011, fans have another reason to be excited about the impending season. Senior David Phillips will be suiting up for the Panthers.

Phillips, a transfer student from Paulsboro High School, played varsity doubles for Paulsboro's Red Raiders last season.

“I honestly don’t know much about (Phillips), other than what I’ve seen in practice,” said Topeka. “He’s definitely a scrappy kid. He has some decent strokes, so you never know. He might be able to come out and surprise some people. I wasn’t even expecting to have him. He can definitely work his way into playing time. He can definitely add some depth to our team.”

Sive, Wilson and Phillips, alongside senior Al Wackins, who doubles as the captain of Collingswood’s boys soccer team, are looking to bring Collingswood boys' tennis its most successful regular season since 2007, when the team finished 16-6 overall. They know, though, that it won’t come easy.

“This team probably isn’t going to light the world on fire,” said Topeka. “We have a lot of kids that really worked hard this summer. I’m just looking forward to watching them compete.”