Panthers continue dominance

Go ahead, check your records. Scour your archives. Search your mind for any county team that can match the success of the Lecanto girls program.

Nobody is even close.

The Panthers' 6-1 victory over Hernando on Tuesday ran the county's all-time best winning streak to an eye-popping 56.

Lecanto last lost a match April 18, 1997 to Gainesville Eastside.

The streak could go on for some time to come. The Panthers' stiffest test any time in the future could come today at Central at 3:45 p.m.

Through the win streak, and five consecutive district championships and a third-place finish at state last year, Lecanto has survived the expected changes in the lineup. "We have good players," Panthers coach Joan Roberts said. "They know that to be on the top varsity team they have to be good, and that makes them work hard all year."

At Lecanto, tennis is a tradition that builds upon itself. Jennifer Rimes, who moved to the No. 1 singles spot when senior Jessie Roberts (the coach's daughter) graduated, took it upon herself to be ready with an offseason regimen that included numerous tournaments and a heavy practice schedule. Rimes, who played at No. 3 last year, is undefeated this season.

Joan Roberts acknowledges that parents and coaches keep delivering top talent to the Panthers.

"That is huge in tennis, because it takes so long develop a game," Roberts said. "You can't just do it in a season. It takes four or five years.

"Jennifer has been playing a lot of tournaments and getting match experience," the coach said. "That reallly helps, because the other girls see her doing that and know that they have to do it too."

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: If Citrus boys coach Doug Patton didn't know better, he might be worried.

But, seeing as how his team lost to Lecanto twice during the last regular season, then rebounded to defeat the Panthers in the district championship, why should he?

"I expect to do it again," Patton said. "Because my boys are young and getting better every day."

Hyperbole? Not quite.

Patton has the area's best No. 2 singles player in Brett Feldman (5-0) and quite possibly the best No. 1 doubles team in Feldman and Venezuelan Pier Presti, who plays No. 1 singles.

Throw in the return of Scott Johnson from basketball and the continued improvement of Chris Barton and the Hurricanes appear to have the recipe for a repeat.

"(Johnson) is coming out this year, and he's got experience. He's one of the few that actually are tennis players," Patton said. "I think we'll be pretty solid by districts."

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT II: Lecanto's Lindsay Rodriguez is equally unimpressed with regular-season records.

His Panthers were undefeated before losing to Patton's Hurricanes in the district final. "It's bad in the sense that we lost," Rodriguez said. "But other than that, it really doesn't matter.

"Districts are the only thing that counts."

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