The Parkland boys tennis team used its depth and skill to author a solid 11-2 record during 2019.

“We had a nice regular season,” Trojan head coach Michael Hingston said. “They definitely showed me something. They didn’t succumb to the pressure.”

The strong showing was more impressive considering how much the team relied on younger, unproven players to carry the torch.

Hingston could typically bank on his three singles players - number one Ankit Lenka, number two Matthew Liu and number three Dan Zolatarev - to represent themselves well against the best of the East Penn Conference. Coming into the season, Hingston was leaning on Lenka and Liu and the dynamic duo did not disappoint. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise was Zolatarev, a freshman, who continued to improve with each practice and match during the season.

“He just gets better everyday,” said Hingston. “He’s always looking to improve.”

Zolatarev sprinted out of the gate, winning seven consecutive matches to start the year. In Parkland’s loss to Emmaus on April 16, Zolatarev was the only singles players of the three to win his match, earning a 6-1, 6-3 victory in the number three match against Emmaus’ Aiden Springs.

In addition to Zolatarev, another surprising youngster was Joshua Jaffee. Hingston described the sophomore as his “sixth man” and someone who would do just about anything to contribute to the Trojan tennis team.

“He will do whatever is asked to help us win,” Hingston said. “He just enjoys playing.”

Jaffee also enjoys winning. He was 7-0 with three doubles partners - Sanjiv Parthasarathy, Henrique Ruozzi and Krishna Narramneni - during the year.

Joining Jaffee with doubles excellence was the pair of Fyodor D’Souza and Conrad Lee. With the exception of a two-match losing stretch from early to mid April, D’Souza and Lee were unbeatable.

Another doubles dynamic duo were Lenka and Liu. During District 11 Class 3A competition, the two young men played superlative tennis during a run that ended in the semifinals to Liberty’s Louis Gruber and David Lynn.

“It’s quite an accomplishment and I’m pleased with their performance,” noted Hingston.

Andrew Ringold and Ee-ning Ooi were two other boys who were double trouble for opponents. Hingtson said the twosome saved their best for the last, playing well in defeat during District 11 play.

Throughout the season, Hingston said he was pleasantly surprised with the poise shown by his young boys. That poise produced a good year and prospects of continued success.