Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 22, 1993 TAG: 9304220139
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BRIAN DeVIDO SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Not hungry in the sense of Big Mac's and Whoppers, the typical teen-age food of choice.
He's hungry for a state title.
Pfeil has the taste of a state title on the tip of his tongue, but he hasn't yet been able to savor it completely.
He finished second in the state singles competition as a freshman and sophomore at Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City. His team won the state title his sophomore year.
Now he hopes to help Blacksburg in its quest for a state crown - and maybe pick up a state singles title for himself along the way.
How good is Pfeil?
"The thing that separates him from other players is that he has no weaknesses," Blacksburg boys' tennis coach Carter Turner said. "His game is extremely well-balanced, both physically and emotionally. He's got a different rapport about him - he's always very controlled on the court."
Part of that balance may come from experience.
Pfeil has played since he was 6 and was taught the fundamentals by his father, Jan. His father also taught the fundamentals to Pfeil's younger brother, Michal, who plays in the No. 3 slot for Blacksburg.
"He got me started," Marek Pfeil said of his father. "He's taught me everything I know."
And so far this season, his experience has paid off. He has posted a 4-0 mark in singles competition and 3-0 in doubles with teammate Robert Gibb.
But the 6-3, 175-pound soft-spoken junior doesn't want people to treat him differently because of his success.
"I don't like the famous part," he said. "Maybe I've got the talent, but it doesn't mean I've got to show it off."
Pfeil's talent was on display, however, in a 5-4 win last week over Salem, last year's AA state runners-up.
Pfeil beat Salem's top player, David Arnold, 6-0, 6-1. The win was vintage Pfeil: He scored with strong ground strokes and gave up few points.
But while Pfeil's success is unquestioned in Blacksburg, he longs for the competition he had in Salt Lake City.
"There is better competition over there," he said. "I'd play in tournaments every other week. I'm not as sharp now as I was when I played in Utah."
What got Pfeil sharp in Utah were the Inter-Mountain Sectional tournaments. Players from six states - Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Nevada - compete in four tournaments a year. The top six players at the end of the year qualified to play in the under-18 national tournament.
Pfeil's best ranking was eighth, but he would have gone to the nationals as an alternate last year had he not left on a 10-month student exchange program in Germany.
He may get his chance to compete in nationals this year, though.
Pfeil will travel to Newport News this weekend to compete in the Mid-Atlantic Tennis Association championships. Players from Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Washington will vie for the chance to qualify for nationals. Only the top four finishers qualify.
But for now, Pfeil is trying to keep his focus on his high school tennis - and winning those state titles.
"As a team, we're just going to give our 110 percent at the state title," he said.
And an individual state title?
"I'll just have to do my best," he said. "Anything can happen, but I'd like to win it."
He can just taste it.
by CNB