This past tennis season for the Panther’s Tennis Team can be defined by one word: promise.  Tennis has always been quite the popular sport in South Florida, and it truly takes talent to compete at the high level that this Pine Crest squad requires.  Dominating at such an elite level is extremely difficult, and in order to do so, these players maintain a great deal of self-motivation.

An early loss in Districts ended the Panther’s season in a disappointing fashion, especially compared to their win at States last season.  While the team may not have achieved all of its goals, a sense of optimism resulted from this season, as some shining young stars for the future have emerged.  Junior captain, Ned Shashoua, looks mainly at how the team beat some of the best teams around,  including St. Andrews and University School.  With an overall record of eight wins and three losses, this season was far from a failure.  Shashoua holds a firm belief that the team most definitely “left it all out there on the court.”

Sadly, the team will be losing three extremely skilled players in Senior captains Roy Lederman, Josh Schneirov, and Chad Resnik.  Lederman could not play this season due to a wrist injury, but his achievements in his past seasons have led him to play tennis for Stanford University, something definitely worthy of being proud.  Reflecting on this past season, Resnik feels that his last year playing tennis at Pine Crest was bittersweet.  “It was sad, yet it was awesome,” said Resnik, “because it brought a sense of accomplishment and allowed me to say that I was a part of something in my high school years.” His plans for tennis after high school include playing for Goucher College.

Despite these three departing Seniors, many young stars, including underclassmen and upcoming middle-schoolers, are going to make the team a powerhouse within the next few years.  Sam Dern and Elliot Seckler are two Freshmen who have shown tremendous skill.  Captain Shashoua even believes Dern would be worthy of an MVP award for his effort this season.  Also, Sophomore Izzy Ercan was the only player to go undefeated this season, which is an outstanding accomplishment. “I definitely think we’ll continue to win a lot of matches in years to come,” Shashoua said with assurance.  Overall, the future looks bright for the Panthers.