Parkland's path to the District 11 team tennis title included all of its biggest rivals over the past few years. And the Trojans made short work of all of them.

The top-seeded Trojans, which went undefeated against opponents from District 11 this season, earned the top seed in this year's team tournament.

In the first round, the Trojans knocked out Freedom, the team they faced in last year's title match.

In the second round, they took out Southern Lehigh, the team that bested them in two straight district title matches before last season.

In Saturday's championship match, Parkland cruised to a win over Emmaus. The final score showed 3-0, but the Trojans were winning the other two matches when they clinched the title with their first three win

"We knew we'd have to play our best tennis to win the match," said Parkland head coach Michael Hingston. "We did that and then some. I don't think we could have played a whole lot better.

"Because of the way the seedings worked out, we had to play Southern Lehigh in the semifinals. They beat Emmaus (in the regular season). We had a hard road through to the finals. We always say let's bring on the top-notch competition."

Parkland advanced to the state tournament and hosted District 1 runner-up Lower Merion. The Trojans fell 4-0 to the Aces, but playing a team of that caliber is good for a program that's trying to become competitive on the state level.

"We have a pretty good track record in our own backyard," said Hingston. "In order to get to the next level we have to take on some teams from outside the area. We always say lets bring on the top-notch competition, not only in states, but also in future years we want to face tougher teams out of our area. It will teach us some things – what do we have to do to get better. It's all about getting better."

Several Parkland players are part of their second straight district title team. For the team's four-year senior players, who settled for a pair of district runner-up finishes in their first two high school seasons, this year's title might not have tasted quite sweet as last year's, but it's a lot better than second place.

"Last year felt a little better," said senior No. 1 singles player Egor Ivanov. "We got our first one.

"It feels good to beat Emmaus, they're kind of our rivals in every sport."