4A Boys Tennis: Kent Denver defeats Cheyenne Mountain in first doubles staff championship
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DENVER — After battling for the staff championship underneath the previous factors system in 2021, the Kent Denver and Cheyenne Mountain boys’ tennis groups had a rating to settle in 2022.
On Tuesday, the 2 groups met at Denver Metropolis Park for the finals of the brand new dual-style state event to find out the Fall Class 4A Staff Champion. The pinnacle-to-head match felt like a tiebreaker contest between the 2 groups a yr later.
On the finish of a dominant season, the Kent Denver Solar Devils gained 7-Zero in opposition to the Purple-Tailed Hawks.
“It is nice,” mentioned Kent Denver senior Mareks Zeile, a three-time singles champion. “It is very particular that we have been in a position to do it two years in a row and it is nice that we had been in a position to come out at the moment and get a sweep too. It felt good to show ourselves as a high staff in 4A at the moment, at the very least for now. I feel the entire staff thought of it (final yr) however not an excessive amount of. We had been simply desirous about coming right here and enjoying the very best tennis and exhibiting them what we are able to do.”
Zeile added that he loved the brand new event format as a result of it made each match extra thrilling. In Tuesday’s match, Zeile and teammate Jack Cramer defeated Tyler Blixt and Johnson Peng, Cheyenne Mountain’s No. 2 in doubles, 6-0, 6-1.
At No. 1 in singles, two-time singles champion Nathan Gold, a sophomore, gained 6-0, 6-2 over fellow sophomore Andrew Ballenger. Kent Denver’s No. 2 singles, sophomore Will Moldenhauer, pulled off a protracted 3-6, 6-3, 6-Four win over Cheyenne Mountain senior Steven Zhou. In singles match #3, senior Reed Haymons defeated senior Zach Sartain 6-3, 6-Four in a replay of a singles championship match that was three units behind in Pueblo on Saturday.
In doubles #1, Kent Denver juniors Tyler Hamons and Seb Boada defeated Cheyenne Mountain seniors Matt Peterson and Hank Walsh 6-3, 6-1. Solar Devils juniors Andrew Morgan and Zach Morgan beat junior Cameron Ford and senior Patrick Gibbs 4-6 6-1 6-4. And in doubles No. 4, Kent Denver senior Marco Fenton and freshman Liam O’ Drobinak 6-4, 6-2 over Cheyenne Mountain Junior Jake Schultz and Patrick Barker.
In his first yr on the helm, Kent Denver head coach Ian Hintz mentioned Tuesday’s staff championship was the proper technique to finish the 2022 season.
“It was a terrific season. The boys have performed nice and competed all year long and it is good to finish the season with a W,” mentioned Hintz. “I am an enormous fan of the brand new format. I do not suppose awarding a staff championship primarily based on particular person strains is suitable, so I feel what CHSAA did this yr was the proper factor to do.
“They fought all season – each level, on a regular basis. That made me actually proud. They only had this need to be there at each level.”
Tuesday’s win marked Kent Denver’s twelfth staff title in boys’ tennis. Cherry Creek was gained 44, which is essentially the most of all time.