Arendell Parrott Academy coach Donald Clark talks to Thomas Grubb, right, and John Grice during Thursday’s match against Coastal Christian. Photo by Junious Smith III / Neuse News

Arendell Parrott Academy may have lost a lot of talent, but the team is rolling on.

The Patriots advanced to 7-2 on the season after an 8-1 victory over Wilmington Coastal Christian Thursday. Despite losing five players due to graduation and transfers from last year’s NCISAA state title runner-up roster, APA started strong and coach Donald Clark said the team has gotten stronger throughout.

“Without question, this is our best match of the year,” Clark said. “I look at Jeff Bland and Ali Qadir, who played phenomenal — they lost badly against the same players in Wilmington, but they’ve made tremendous improvements. Coastal Christian is a good team and could be one of the top five or six in (NCISAA) 3A play.

“Even though the guys don’t have a lot of high school experience, they work hard and are getting better every game. We’re just taking it one game at a time.”

 William Hill is one of the few returning players from last season and said the sky is the limit.

 “We’ve got a lot of new guys, so I’m just trying to do my part and help,” Hill said. “This is my sixth year with the team and I’m passing along as much information as I can. A lot of people expected us to have a down year, but we’ve got a lot of talent. If we can keep this up, we can get a high seed in the playoffs.”

Singles

William Hill (APA) def. Jaylen Blue 6-1, 6-4

J. Allen Smith (APA) def. Matt Holdsworth 6-1, 6-0

Jeff Bland (APA) def. Marlon Nevue 6-1, 6-4

Ali Qadir (APA) def. Bryce Delacourt 6-4, 1-6, 1-0(5)

Thomas Grubb (APA) def. Jared Pruzan 6-4, 6-3

John Grice (APA) def. Kitch Jones 6-4, 6-1

Doubles

Hill-Smith (APA) def. Blue-Pruzan 8-1

Neven-Delacourt (CCS) def. Bland-Qadir 8-1

Grubb-Grice (APA) def. Holdsworth-Jones 8-6