Last year in the tennis playoffs, the Panthers faced Montgomery in an intense first round matchup. Although it was very close, then-senior Charles Meaux won the last match of the day, helping the team advance with a score of 10-9.

“I just remember it was a really tight match from start to end and Charles ended up winning it really late on,” sophomore Jaylen Macapaz said. “So that was like a really nice moment for us to fight through those tough moments and still come out winning.”

Kingwood Park and Montgomery will compete again tomorrow in the bi-district championship. The match will be held at Kingwood Park starting at 10 a.m.

“I honestly love starting the matches early because it’s more time to spend with the team,” senior Parker Baley said. “And I really like having days dedicated to tennis, because when we have school and then tennis matches, it feels more stressful.”

The Panthers had another strong regular season, going undefeated and winning the district title for the fourth year in a row. With the history between the two teams, coach John Macapaz said he is looking forward to seeing his team take on Montgomery again. 

“They are a hard hitting team,” he said. “Full of heavy hitters, so it’ll be fun.”

The Panthers have advanced past the first round the past two seasons. Coach Macapaz is confident they can advance again this year, and his players are heeding his advice. Coach Macapaz’s son, Jaylen, said whenever he gets stressed during a match, he remembers his dad’s advice.

“My dad always tells me, ‘Why do you play this sport?’” Jaylen Macapaz said. “‘If you don’t enjoy it, what’s the point of playing?’ Every time I’m having a tough time, I always think about how much fun I have playing the sport when I’m not worried about the stress, about losing, and I just want to have fun.”