After senior Andres Campos doubles match stretched to two and a half hours, the team captain faced multiple issues going into his singles match. It was the Bi-District Championship and Campos knew the team needed his points on Oct. 7.

“I felt a strain in my right calf,” Campos said. “I was pretty fatigued because my doubles match lasted pretty long, and my opponent didn’t have a doubles match, so he was fresh.”

Even with the odds against him, Campos fought through multiple match points to take the victory over his opponent. Coach John Macapaz labeled it the “turning point” of the competition.

“The one I think that changed the momentum of the match was our number one boy Andres,” Macapaz said. “He could have lost multiple times and was able to keep himself in there, and ended up coming through in the end.”

It took more than six hours total, but Kingwood Park defeated Montgomery, 10-6, and advanced to the Area round. 

More than just Campos were hindered by the long matches and the heat on the Kingwood Park tennis courts Tuesday. Senior Izzy Sikora’s doubles victory took three hours.

“I was exhausted from my doubles match, and I only had a 15 minute break before I went on to singles,” Sikora said. “I was absolutely wiped, starving, and tired from being out in the heat.”

The Panthers held a close 4-3 lead after the doubles matches. The team broke away from Montgomery in singles though.

“There were a lot of things we had to battle,” Macapaz said. “For those kids to handle themselves, to not complain about things, and to show up the way they did. I told them it was a top five moment for me as a coach.”

The team now sets their sights on tomorrow’s matchup against Galveston Ball in Galveston.

“It’s a quality team. There’s a lot of talent there, but I think it’s going to be more of a gritty type match,” Macapaz said. “If we bring the same purpose and energy from our first match, I think we’ll be able to dominate pretty easily.”