Allen Brothers

Apr 9, 2022

Submitted Franklin Regional senior Andrew Allen (left) and his brother, junior Aaron Allen. Franklin Regional’s boys tennis team reached the WPIAL Class 3A finals in 2021, falling to Shady Side Academy. And with the graduation of seven players, you would think this would be a rebuilding year. Nope. With the addition of the Allen brothers, the Panthers (8-0, 4-0) just reloaded. Andrew Allen, a senior, and his brother Aaron, a junior, joined the Franklin Regional team this season after transferring to the area from Texas during the 2020-21 school year. Instead of joining the Panthers’ squad last year, the Allens decided to work on their games and found a trainer to help them out. “I found out right before the season that they wanted to be part of a team,” Franklin Regional coach Howard Fisher said. “Andrew is home schooled and Aaron is attending classes. “We asked them to join last year, but they decided not to. We’re glad they did.” The Allens reached the Section 1-3A singles finals with Andrew edging out his brother, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. “They’ve developed a nice relationship with the players in the team,” Fisher said. “I knew they were talented players. They haven’t lost this season.” The Panthers have dominated their opponents and even defeated Mt. Lebanon, 4-1. “I depend on a nine-player rotation,” Fisher said. “Everyone has played in at least five matches.” The other key players on the roster include seniors Trerit Yadav, Adi Arkalguard, Urvish Jain, Abhinav Komanduti and Atharva Mayekar and junior Josh Selvakhimar and sophomore Drew Kulkarin. “We benefit from a lot of players participating in tournaments,” Fisher said. “They are ready when it’s time for them to play.” And Fisher hopes the team continues to improve and gets a good seed in the WPIAL playoffs. They still have matches scheduled against North Allegheny and Fox Chapel. Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Paul by email at pschofield@triblive.com or via Twitter .