Sports

Upper Perk's Jack Strouse plays out of the rough in the surroundings of hole #3 at Macoby Run in a non-league match Monday against Christopher Dock.

John Brittain will be the first to tell you that he doesn’t have a lights-out, one-two punch on his roster this year.

But in the same breath, the veteran Upper Perkiomen head golf coach will also say what his team lacks in upper echelon talent, it more than makes up for in quantity and consistency.

And has his team ever lived up to that scenario this year.

In its first outing of the young 2010 season, the Indians gritted out a 219-227 non-league victory at Macoby Run Golf Course over Christopher Dock. A day later, Upper Perk kicked off the Pioneer Athletic Conference portion of its schedule in a 308-296 setback at Raven’s Claw Golf Club in Pottstown.

“This year if we win matches it will be with consistent scores,” Brittain said while on the course Tuesday. “We don’t have those dynamite top two players that others do, we are just consistent through the first five and eight – and you can win if you can get that consistency.”

That consistency highlighted the Tribe’s win over the Pioneers. Tyler Wilz and Phil Knight both led the victors with 43 as Austin Bennett and Chris Frickmann both shot 44 and Jack Strouse rounded out the scoring with a 45.

In Tuesday’s match, Upper Perk’s scores were similarly grouped. Strouse led his squad with a 55 on the par-49 course as Philip Knight notched 59, Josh Peart shot a 63, and Jayson Loose (65) and Dan Loose (66) claimed the fourth and fifth scoring honors.

Perk Valley was paced by a 53 from Austin Mann, and followed by Andrew Kenney (57), Alex Hart (59), Frank Kasper (61) and Sam Widenhofer (66).

The other main tenant of this year’s team is depth. Unlike previous years when Upper Perk’s squad hovered around a dozen strong, Brittain, in his ninth year at the helm, has noticed an overall interest in the sport that has bolstered his numbers.

This year’s team is around 32 strong, separated into three groups: varsity, JV and developmental. Brittain started the concept last year and it grew from there, with fellow middle school teacher Dave Pierce, who also happens to be the JV coach, drumming up interest at the sixth- through eighth-grade levels.

Two girls are on the squad this year competing with their male counterparts, including Mia Baringer, and the hope is enough females will join to create the need for a girls’ team.

“Kids are starting younger than before, the popularity has grown and the numbers throughout the league have gone up as well,” Brittain said. “We’ve grown and we typically don’t cut underclassmen, so all of the kids get an opportunity.”

And those opportunities, along with all of that consistency, are what Brittain helps will mold his program.

“I’m not sure how good we will be - we will be more competitive, but we have to play well match in and out to do well,” Brittain said. “We’re not that good where we can just show up and beat teams. Anyone of our eight kids can score.”

Senior co-captain Maddy Coffey will be starting in the second singles slot this season.

                Optimism abounds as the Upper Perk girls' tennis team preps for the fall 2010 campaign. No wonder second-year coach John Williamson is looking forward to the season.

                The team had a very large turnout this summer and features a nice mix of seasoned veterans and energetic newcomers to the team. Plus the team received an unexpected boost from Norway.

                “We have a lot of seniors this year and a good turnout in nine and ten,” said Williamson. “We have a lot of young players, but also a lot of experienced players.”

                Williamson expects that at least nine of the players in the varsity lineup will be seniors. He will be using the preseason scrimmages against Pennridge and North Penn and intra-team practice battles to set the lineup for the season opener next week against defending champ Perkiomen Valley.

                “With many experienced players in our lineup, we hope to be a competitive team in the PAC-10 this year,” Williamson stated.

                Senior co-captain Maddy Coffey concurs. “Everybody seems to be really enthusiastic. We have a bright future ahead of us.”

                Coffey, who competed at second singles last fall, is locked in a battle for first singles with Katrine Aakvaag, an exchange student from Norway. Katrine arrived in the U.S. a couple of weeks ago and will be a senior at Upper Perk.

                They are trying to replace Tori Zander who was at first singles for the past two years.

                Aakvaag started tennis when she was nine years old, but has not played for a couple of years. Still, she has impressed her coaches and teammates, and the team has helped her in the acclimation process,

                “It’s good to get to know people before school,” Aakvaag said. “They’re really nice.”

                For her part, Coffey is eager to take on her teammate in a friendly competition and the more hostile opponents from other schools. “I know I’m going up against a lot of girls who play all year round,” Coffey, a softball player in the spring and summer, said, “but I love playing, and I’m a competitive person.”

                The team’s other co-captain, senior Lindsey Nolen, has praise for coach Williamson’s methods for improving the team’s skill level.

                “We’ve been doing a lot more one-on-one than we have in years past,” Nolen said. “Individually, we have specific areas that we have to improve on.”

                “Repetition is the key to the drills,’ said Williamson.

                Nolen, a senior competing for first doubles, also was happy with how the team was meshing. “I think we’re becoming more of a team as the pre-season progresses,” she said.

                Coffey cited the team’s work ethic as another plus. “We have a lot of hard workers.” That includes Katie Tyrpak, last year’s number three player.

                “Katie has improved a lot,” Coffey said.

                Senior Shannon Suhl, who was paired at first doubles with the graduated Nicoll Lezano last season, is another veteran coach Williamson will be depending on.

                One team goal is to improve on last season’s record (3-6, 5-6). Williamson is looking forward to the “tough first match” with Perk Valley as a good measuring stick for his squad.

                “I expect us to put up a good fight with the top teams,” he noted.