Kathleen Pellegrino


Phoenixville Boys’ Tennis has come a long way since the Pac-10 first started in 1985-1986. Since then the team had a 196 winning streak in the Pac-10 and were Pac- 10 champions every year since, but this year suffered a Pac- 10 loss to Methacton. This is Methacton’s first season in the Pac-10 league. Phoenixville also lost to them last year in a non-league match. The team got a little down because of the loss, but Coach Scoda (and mayor of Phoenixville) was still very proud of the team. He said, “I look back at this team and I think that 196 wins in a row is a great accomplishment.” Coach Scoda has been coaching tennis in Phoenixville for 46 years. His assistant coaches are Mr. Zittel and volunteer Mr. Curley. Former PAHS student and tennis star Wanzell Flemming also volunteered time to lead the team to success.

Despite the breaking of their streak, this season went very well for the tennis team. They finished 7-1 in the Pac-10, 2-2 in the non league, and 1-1 at districts, putting them at 10 -4 overall. Unfortunately, due to the rainy weather the team was not able to play a few of their matches. They usually play about 14 matches, but only played 12 (not counting district matches).

The eight senior players rotated as the team captains; John Reading played at 2nd singles, Yusuf Brown and Steve Ng played at 1st doubles, Mike Reeves and Adam Leggieri were at 2nd doubles, Kyle Taylor and James Churgai were at 3rd doubles, and Kyle Eldridge played at 4th doubles. Not only were the seniors the leaders of the team, but some of the underclassmen acted as leaders as well. Steve Tassone at 1st singles won the Pac-10 Singles Championship. Mike Potts was solid at third singles. At the Boyertown match John McInally, who usually played at 4th doubles, was able to step up into third singles as a replacement and win his match. Freshman Doug Reeves also played in a few varsity matches.

Steve Tassone and John Reading finished 2nd at Pac-10 doubles behind Methacton. They qualified for district doubles, as did Yusuf Brown and Steve Ng, who went undefeated in the league at first doubles. In districts the team beat Octorara 5-0 but lost to Lower Moreland 2-3 in the semifinals. Steve Tassone reached the semifinals of district singles. John Reading and Steve Tassone got to the final of district doubles, almost making it to states.

Sadly, the team will lose eight key players to graduation. The seniors provided some advice to the returning players. Kyle Taylor said, “Looking back on tennis I’ve realized that you can’t just go out there and play, you have to put in the extra work and practice a lot. And make sure that at every moment you’re trying your hardest.” Mike Reeves said, “Take your time in a match, be focused and listen to what the coaches have to say.”

Tennis is a year round sport. Just because the season ends at the end of May doesn’t mean tennis is over. To have experience you have to play a lot. There’s no better time to get ready for next season than right now. A lot of the players will be a part of the Mr. Scoda’s Summer Tennis Program that takes place here at the school. (See Mr. Zittel to sign up!) Coach Scoda hopes the boys (and girls) get a lot of time to play in the summer and don’t put down their rackets.

Next season definitely seems promising with the commitment that the team shows. Two returning juniors will remain the singles players, with Steve Tassone at first and Mike Potts at second. Beyond that, the team has some tough shoes to fill and some rebuilding to do. As for this season, great job boys! Now it’s time to start a new streak of wins!