Wissahickon Boys Tennis Wins 7-0 Over Council Rock South

By this time on a chilly Wednesday afternoon, Ricardo Prince was well into "relax" mode, wearing a navy blue hoodie pulled over his head with matching sweatpants.

The Wissahickon junior tennis player had lost just one game—one too many in some circles—during a 6-1, 6-0 win over his Council Rock South opponent at No. 1 singles, then picked apart some citrus while waiting for teammates to finish.

Older brother Andreas, at No. 2 singles, strolled over next, following a 6-1, 6-2 drubbing of his own. Sophomore No. 3 player Bee Callahan had also finished by this point, 6-0, 6-1, and shared the moment, if not the last name.

"I feel like a Prince sometimes," Callahan said, with a laugh. "I have a Prince (equipment) bag too, so I fit in now."

While you don't have to be a Prince to play for Wissahickon, you must play a mean game of tennis, since this year carries big expectations for the Trojans.

The 7-0 shellacking of CR South marked the fourth time in five contests that the opposition failed to win a single match. Only CR North, which lost 4-3, broke that streak, with three wins in the doubles ranks. Central Bucks South, Methacton and Cheltenham weren't so lucky. 

For Wissahickon, last year's 14-1 overall record (7-0 in the Suburban One League's American Conference), a fourth-place finish at districts and a one-and-done appearance at the Pennsylvania state tournament wasn't good enough, especially with the guts of a strong team intact and back.

"We basically have the same team as last year," Ricardo Prince said. "We trained a lot over the winter, and we have great chemistry among everybody. We like to eat together and hang out together. Bonding makes us a better team. Our goal is to go at least one more round of states, if not better."

Individually, Ricardo advanced to the district singles quarterfinals, while Andres reached the second round of districts. The siblings also took fourth as a double team in District One and reached the state quarters.

But the individual stuff comes later, as the Prince brothers are two of the 10 returning varsity players. After the Princes and Callahan, seniors Matt Soffer and John Hsieh man first doubles, followed by experienced players Gabe Cohen, Evan Horn, David Jee, Andy Lee, Paul DeVassal and Ryan Flamberg.

"Based on last year, we knew we going to be slightly stronger because we were only losing one senior (second doubles player Mike Weiner)," said head coach Mark Daniels, who is entering his 29th year. "Most of them worked in the offseason because they know what they can accomplish. Our team has a reputation now, and you have to be good just to make the team."

While the Prince brothers know they'll likely qualify for individual singles, the focus remains on the team's deep roster and strength throughout.

"We can go far as a team and as individuals," Andreas said.

One glance around the player’s equipment bags proved this concept, as there were logos for Head, Babolat and Dunlop, as opposed to just Prince.

"This is a team that everyone wants to be on," Callahan said. "It's the best team. These are the guys you should play with. They know what they're doing, and they like to have fun, too. We know how good we can be."