Parkland boys tennis coach Michael Hingston, entering his ninth season as the boys’ boss and by record one of the best tennis coaches in the area, understands playing tennis and playing winning tennis is often mental.

Winning tennis on North Cedar Crest is a perennial Trojan habit. This year though Hingston may want to hold a meet-and-greet for his squad before it embarks on another District 11 title pursuit. For starters, it’s been a while since the boys have been back in town. Last year the squad played three matches before COVID tanked the season. Then there is the Trojans’ youth. They won’t soon be confused with grizzled veterans.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been together as a team,” Hingston said a few days before the season opener. “In our top seven players, we have only a couple of seniors. I have been impressed with how prepared they came in for the first day of practice. They showed up in shape. These guys have worked hard.”

Hard work, plus good conditioning and superb technique means the Trojans should be around when title play comes around.

“We’re not sure what is awaiting us in the EPC and district,” the coach said assessing the competition. “But I’m very confident with our ability to compete with anyone.”

Hingston’s confidence begins with five young men who are serving and volleying hard for the top three singles slots. The likely number one and two slots will go to Dan Zolotarev and Ankit Lenka, respectively. Both young men are seniors and both progressed nicely during their sophomore seasons. Lenka could be pushed out by junior Fyodor D’Souza based on challenge match results. The third slot is a tussle between sophomore Joshua Thomas and junior Lucas Lee.

The two runner ups will comprise Hingston’s number one doubles team. The second duo will feature seniors Mridul Gupta and Joshua Jaffe. Behind them in the third slot are Ee-Ning Ooi, a senior, and Taehyuk Yang, a sophomore. The fourth doubles unit will be juniors Noah Oxfeld and Rithik Raghuraman.

Preseason practice time is at a premium, but Hingston says his Trojans should be ready by opening day. A home-and-home battle with Whitehall on March 19 and 22 starts the 2021 season. It runs through April 20 with a season-ending date with Pleasant Valley followed by postseason tournaments.

“There are some good teams in our district, but we should be in the mix,” said Hingston. That is almost certain.