Pritsker, Van Rensburg top All-District team

BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

Singles Alex PritskerManalapanjunior Grant Van RensburgManalapansenior Ariel RoytenbergMarlborojunior Karan KapoorFreehold Boroughsenior Dave LevyManalapansenior Doubles Ray Verma, freshman, and Jeremy Goldman, junior Freehold Borough Kyle Matthews, senior. and Philip Levin, freshmanFreehold Township Manalapan High School served up a pair of aces in Alex Pritsker and Grant Van Rensburg, as the Braves were the top boys tennis team in the Freehold Regional District this year.

With the return of Pritsker and Van Rensburg, the Braves had one of the best first- and second-singles combos in the Shore, and it powered them to a Top 10 ranking in the Shore Conference and second place behind state sectional champion Ocean Township in A North. They went 13-4.

While Manalapan may have been the District's best team, it was the Freehold Borough Colonials who won a championship. Relying on their balanced line-up, the Colonials won the B North Division title without the loss of a single match. Freehold relied on the veteran leadership of first singles player Karan Kapoor and it's very competitive first double team of Raj Verma and Jeremy Goldman. The Colonials went 17-3 and reached the state sectional semis.

At this time last year, Marlboro's Andrew Sharnov was making school and District history, winning the NJSIAA singles championship after leading the Mustangs to a third straight Shore Conference Tournament title and fourth straight A North crown. With graduation hitting the Mustangs hard (they lost their top three singles players), it was back to earth for Marlboro. What would be deemed an off year by Marlboro standards, would be a great one for most, however. The Mustangs, led by junior Ariel Roytenberg, still ranked in the Top 10 in the Shore and went 11-7 and reached the state sectional quarters.

Howell High School did not have any outstanding players, but the Rebels were a solid team and enjoyed a breakthrough season by qualifying for the SCT.

Pritsker and Van Rensburg head the News Transcript's 2006 All-Freehold Regional District Boy's Tennis Team. Joining them on the singles unit are Roytenberg, Kapoor and the Braves' Dave Levy.

The doubles teams are Freehold Borough's Verma and Goldman, and Kyle Matthews and Phillip Levin, of Freehold Township.

Pritsker, who is still only a junior, is a tenacious player who goes for his shots. He played first singles all year for the Braves, and advanced to the fourth round of the NJSIAA singles tournament, finishing with an 18-4 record.

Van Rensburg, a senior, excelled at second singles for Manalapan. A former Monmouth County flight champion, Van Rensburg did not lose a match during the regular season, and reached the third round of the state singles tournament. He was 18-1.

Roytenberg made the big jump from doubles to first singles. The junior had some rather large shoes to fill, but proved he could win consistently at the top level of high school tennis. He qualified for the state tournament and should be among the Shore's best next spring.

Kapoor concluded a nice career at the borough by leaving with a championship. A steady player with big ground strokes, he was a solid No. 1 player and qualified for the state singles tournament.

Manalapan not only had the top two singles players in the area, but the best singles lineup as well. The Braves won most of their matches 3-2, with Levy providing the decisive point. Thanks to his clutch tennis, the Braves returned to the Shore's elite.

Verma and Goldman didn't start the season out as a team, but when coach Brian Donohue teamed them up, they became a force. They lost their very first match as a team, but didn't lose again until the third round of the NJSIAA doubles tournament. The good news for Freehold, Verma is a freshman and Goldman, a sophomore.

Much like Verma and Goldman, Matthews and Levin didn't start the season as a team, but when they were put together, wins followed. They were the only team to beat the Colonial pair during the regular season and were a big reason the team was 7-7 in the brutal A North Division. Matthews is a senior while Levin, a freshman, is just starting his career.

Those earning Honorable Mention in 2006 were: Kevin Sun and Fred Yick, Freehold Borough; Anson Ahne, Freehold Township; Stephen Rogers, Matt Stein and Matthew Freed, Howell; and Matthew Schwartz, Paul Rau and Bryan Lesser, Marlboro.