Matt, Josh, and Abe from the UPHS tennis team From Upinidans Instagram
This previous March, Upper Perkiomen High School’s Boys’ Tennis team started its 2025 season. With three seniors, Matthew Fisher, Joshua Pacheco, and Abraham Thomas, leading the team.
During the past season, the team brought home many winning scores, finalized at 5-2 against Pottsgrove, 6-1 against Pennridge, 7-0 against Pottstown, and another 5-2 against Perk Valley.
All of these successful matches could only have been possible with help from the new additions to the team. New coaches, Head Coach Kelbaugh, Upper Perkiomen Middle School’s General Music and Chorus teacher, Assistant Coach Detwiler, Upper Perkiomen Middle School’s 8th-grade History teacher, and Coach Corey, who is not affiliated with UPSD, have filled in for Coach Hawthorne and Williamson’s positions.
Coach Kelbaugh mentioned, “After having my first year at Upper Perk, I started looking for opportunities to grow. When I saw a coaching position open for a sport that I played, I just went for it.”
Coach Detwiler, who had a similar reasoning for joining the team, states that he was given the opportunity when he “learned that the tennis program may not run if no one stepped up to help run [it]. So naturally, [he] jumped at the chance to help out.”
Coach Detwiler, Coach Kelbaugh, and Coach Corey all plan on staying for future seasons.
Current senior tennis player, Matthew Fisher, stated how the team is “sad to see Coach Williamson and Coach Hawthorne leave, they taught us so much. But we love the new coaches, and the underclassmen are definitely excited for future seasons with them.”
Mr. Hawthorne and Mr. Williamson, two teachers at UPHS, have been coaching tennis together for 15 years. The 2024-25 season was their first season watching their teams as teachers.
Mr. Williamson tells the WSJ, “I enjoyed playing sports growing up and asked the athletic director about potential coaching opportunities when I started teaching at UPHS. The tennis coach positions happened to be opening the following year, so the timing was perfect.”
He continues to state how “Seeing athletes push themselves and improve through dedication and effort is also extremely rewarding to witness, [but] time was the biggest factor in deciding to step away from coaching. Being a coach requires a lot of time away from family, and I wanted to be able to spend more time with my own kids and wife.”
Mr. Williamson and Mr. Hawthorne are there to cheer their teams on from the sidelines. The new coaches are here to bring great things to the tennis teams. Keep a lookout for these new faces, and welcome them in with Upper Perk Pride.