History of Pen Argyl Boys' Tennis
(1971 - 1998)
Back in 1971, a new era in Pen Argyl athletics began. Under the direction of Tom Schoeninger, the Pen Argyl Boys' Tennis Team was established. Nineteen members were on that first team in 1971 and their combined efforts produced a 2-5 record. Over the next two seasons the team lost players to graduation and other spring sports, but they also gained new players who learned the fundamentals of the game of tennis. These two seasons did not produce a single victory, but they did provide some valuable experience for the younger players. In the 1974 season, the team won 5 matches, by far the most in a single season to that point. The 1975 season was also a memorable one, not just for the team's 5 victories, but for the outstanding individual play. Brad Bellis, the #1 seed on the team, advanced to the quarterfinal round of the District Singles Tournament, while in doubles play, he and Dave Stancombe teamed up to advance to the quarterfinals of the District Doubles Tournament. (They lost to the eventual second place finishers.) Things were looking upward for this young team. They had gone from two straight winless seasons to two straight seasons of 5 wins.
The two previous seasons provided gigantic stepping stones into the 1976 season. The '76 team posted a 17-3 record, the most wins and best season ever for the boys' team, and finished second to Saucon Valley for the Colonial League Championship. Brad Bellis rolled the competition for an undefeated regular season at #1 singles. He was upset in the quarterfinal round of the Colonial League Tournament, but he and Russ Miller won the Colonial League Championship in doubles. However, for every positive there is a negative. Bellis and most of the team graduated, leaving a very young team for the next season. The lack of experience and lack of veteran leadership would clearly show in the team's 1977 record. The team won only five matches that season, with one of the few bright spots being Don Dentith's (#1 player on the team) 10-3 record and a fourth place finish in the District Singles Tournament. The next two seasons proved to be very difficult ones for the members of the tennis team. A record of 1-15 in 1978 and the departure of Coach Schoeninger created a challenge for the new coach, Peggy Shipman, who took over the team in 1979. The '79 team couldn't muster a victory and went 0-18 for the season. What was the problem? Little experience and lack of numbers. With the number of player numbers slowly declining, eventually (in 1985 and 1986) Pen Argyl was unable to field a team.
Peggy Shipman, who was hired to rebuild a once promising sport increased the victories by two in 1980 (a 2-16 record) and by 7 in 1981 (a 9-10 mark). However, 1981 was Shipman's last season in Pen Argyl. Her successor was Jim Atwell in 1982. His teams were not able to produce the victories that Pen Argyl had once seen due mainly to the lack of boys coming out for tennis. He went 6-51 in three seasons before tennis was dropped at Pen Argyl because of lack of interest.
After a two year absence, the team was back in 1987. With the combined efforts of Patty Gum and girls' tennis coach, Walt Cole, the team went 3-11. Due to the fact that they were starting fresh after two years without a program, the 1987 tennis team was unable to compete in the Colonial League and had to schedule independent games. This changed in 1988 when once again the team competed in the ever tough Colonial League. Under the guidance of Patty Gum, the team finished the season with a 5-9 record. But just like before, the program had to be dropped for - you guessed it - lack of players. Another two year absence followed.
In 1991, boys' tennis returned. Walt Cole was the coach during the 1991 season and led the young team to a 3-8 record. 1992 brought a new coach, Christine Patterson, and a 1-11 record. They only won one match to Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg. The top four players of the team were Kenny Kocher, Keith Kocher, Randy Sandt, and Todd Holland. They would be losing Kenny and Keith Kocher for the following year, but according to Christine Patterson the underclassmen have the talent to show improvement for the following year. Glenn Rosetti, another new coach, took the helm in the 1993 season and coached the team to a 3-10 record. In the year 1993, the boys had a tough time rebuilding their season due to practicing indoors, because of inclement weather conditions produced by the blizzard or 1993. Most important the boys won the match against Bangor. Glenn Rosetti, the new coach was pleased with the team and with only one senior, the rest of the team was young and would have the future to build skills. 1994 brought Mark Hahn, the fourth new coach in four years. He also coached only one season and won only one match. Even though the complete team only won one game, individually their were many victories. Third seed Joey Piazza, and fourth seed Matt Palma, were new at the game, but had a lot of potential.
However, the building blocks were in place for the next few years as the team was comprised of mostly sophomores, one of whom was Chris Cole. Chris was the #1 seed on the team during his sophomore year and went 11-3. Chris had a 17-2 record the next season and earned a #8 seed in the District Singles Tournament. The 1995 season was Carl Meyer's first year at Pen Argyl. He coached the team to a 7-9 overall record. The next season was the first winning season at Pen Argyl for the first time in 20 years. The team finished 12-5 while Cole, with a 15-2 regular season record, made it to the quarterfinal round of the District Singles Tournament. The best was yet to come. Chris Cole teamed up with Matt Palma to become the first ever boys' tennis players from Pen Argyl to make it all the way to the state level in doubles play. However, with the departure of these excellent senior players, only a handful of players remained for the upcoming seasons. The 1997 season included only one senior and produced a record of 2-16, while the 1998 team had no seniors and produced a record of 3-13. Once again, numbers continued to be a problem. 1999 will bring about another new era in boys' tennis. Coach Meyer's departure after the 1998 season left an experienced team who will be looking to leave their mark on the 24 year old history of Pen Argyl boys' tennis.
Coaching Records at Pen Argyl
Year by Year Records at Pen Argyl
| 1971: 2-5 | 1994: 1-13 |
| 1972: 0-6 | 1995: 7-9 |
| 1973: 0-8 | 1996: 12-5 |
| 1974: 5-6 | 1997: 2-16 |
| 1975: 5-7 | 1998: 3-13 |
| 1976: 17-3 | 1999: 7-12 |
| 1977: 5-12 | 2000: 12-9 |
| 1978: 1-15 | 2001: 13-2 |
| 1979: 0-18 | 2002: |
| 1980: 2-16 | 2003: |
| 1981: 9-10 | 2004: |
| 1982: 1-19 | 2005: 9-11 |
| 1983: 3-16 | 2006: 3-17 |
| 1984: 2-16 | 2007: 3-16 |
| 1987: 3-11 | |
| 1988: 5-9 | |
| 1991: 3-8 | |
| 1992: 1-11 | |
| 1993: 3-10 |
by Mike Sakelarides
Updated April 1st, 2008