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Hamshire Fannett Tennis giving Déjà Vue
Drake Edwards, Jaxson Martin, Lucas Wheeler, Van Wilcox, Matthew Martinson, Joshua Perkins and Briley Parsely (left to right on the picture) all earned their spot as Regional qualifiers. Van and Briley end their senior year with an impressive 24-1 record, finishing with a third-place medal in mixed doubles at the Regional Tournament.
"I have never been around a team as close as ours. The past few years haven't been easy, but I am so proud to have overcome all of the challenges we had to face, together, as a family" says Briley.
Hamshire-Fannett HS was recently hit with extreme weather disasters. Hurricane Harvey, tropical storm Imelda and the recent winter storm turned the life of its students upside down.
Before Hamshire-Fannett´s Fall Tennis season could even start, hurricane Laura hit and destroyed its tennis courts with its wrathful winds. The team was forced to relocate to the middle school, where practice was held on a concrete slab intended for basketball.
Many players had been left without a home and holding practices with the entire team was close to impossible. Although it seemed like the story had ended before it had a chance to begin, the players decided to flip the script and write their own ending. Even with intense training and busy schedules, many players still decided to trade off days for weekend practice and extra drills, led by Tennis Captains Van Wilcox and Briley Parsley.
'We started holding team bondings after workouts, where we ate together, shared our stories, laughter, and eventually found a second family among our teammates.´´ says Van Wilcox.
With the right attitude, hard work, and discipline, the players began their run as the underdogs in Southeast Texas. Former college athlete, Helene Czudek says: '' We work hard to get the job done, but most importantly, we have fun while doing it! I am so proud of them for staying strong during tough times, that's shows a lot about their heart and character.''
