The Levelland Tennis PACK’s season ended last week at Regionals in Lubbock, marking the conclusion of the careers of a historic senior class.
The PACK seniors amassed 1,196 total wins, six All-State honors, 21 All-District honors and 43 Academic All-District honors. They also held a class average of a 4.0 GPA across the board.
Individually, Nathan Ellis collected 182 wins, William Canon collected 154 wins, Daisy Perez collected 122 wins, Zackary Lopez collected 117 wins, Brady Houston collected 116 wins, Madison Almager collected 73 wins, Teagan Brothers collected 55 wins, Hayden Ewings collected 54 wins and Lilly Alvarado collected 29 wins.
On the PACK all-time wins list, Ellis ranks second, Canon ranks fourth and Perez ranks eighth. Perez is also the third winningest girl all time.
Levelland Head Tennis Coach Jeffrey Braziel noted that this senior class has set the standard and foundation for the teams to come not only with what they’ve accomplished, but also their attitude, commitment and kinship, which PACK senior Nathan Ellis reflected upon.
“This class is truly an extraordinary experience. Defining PACK tennis for the past four years, this group has such a special bond. We may all be leaving the program behind, but we’re leaving an example and certainly bringing a whole lot of fun memories with us,” Ellis said. “All thanks to my fellow seniors and especially Braziel and Lawson. You have helped me grow up and become a better man. I will never forget this group of young adults and what we could accomplish together.”
Coach Braziel would also state that this senior group’s impact went far beyond the tennis court. He remarked that they’ve pushed him to be a better person through their actions as people and coaching them is the best experience of his career.
Now they prepare to go be difference makers in the real world, but their departure from the PACK and everything it meant to them doesn’t come easy.
“To me, the PACK represents not only a team but a support system and family,” PACK senior Daisy Perez said. “In my PACK, we celebrate wins together, support each other and always laugh together. What I’ll miss the most is the time we’ve spent together. For over four years, we’ve seen each other almost every day, bonding and growing not only as players but as friends. Simple moments like our Christmas parties, team bonding activities and practices are where my favorite memories were made. This team has given me many friendships and memories that I’ll carry with me forever, and that’s what makes leaving the PACK so hard.”
They’ll always have those memories and experiences with them as they continue to strive for excellence as they all pursue high-level college degrees in areas such as engineering, pre-med and nursing. And they can know if they were able to achieve all of that with the PACK, they can accomplish anything moving forward.
(Photo provided by Levelland ISD)