CHSAANow

Category: Boys Tennis

  • Boys tennis preview: Kent Denver, Cheyenne Mountain rivalry makes 4A great

    4A state tennis
    Kent Denver won last season’s 4A boys tennis title. (CHSAANow.com file photo)

    When Randy Ross took over the Kent Denver boys tennis program 20 years ago, he didn’t have to look far to measure greatness.

    Ross just focused his attention on the perennial powerful Cheyenne Mountain team.

    “I knew they were the best program in (Class 4A) and you model what successful programs do, and you give them respect and learn from them,” Ross said. “I’ve known coach (Dave) Adams for a lot of years and I have a lot of respect for him and the job he does.”

    The Indians, under Adams, have won 17 state championships – 1992, ’93, ’94, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’99, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, and 2012.

    “I think the rivalry with Kent Denver is great,” Adams said. “I’m a huge fan of Randy’s. I like the way he coaches his team. I like how fired up his team gets and how competitive they are. I think what has made it such a good rivalry is that both Randy and I are really competitive individuals and hopefully we pass that along to our players.

    “I think this rivalry with Kent Denver and Cheyenne Mountain defines what high school tennis is all about. Kids get fired up and circle that date on their calendar when they are going to face that (rival).”

    The Ross-led Sun Devils have not only become an established prep program, but one of the best.

    “The rivalry is friendly and we’ve had great dual matches and had great matches at state and there’s been years when we have been soft and they came through and now there is a time where they are a little soft and we’ve come through,” Ross said. “It is a very good rivalry.”

    The Sun Devils have won six boys state tennis titles in school history — all coming since 1999. The Sun Devils tied Cheyenne Mountain for the crown in 1999 and won it outright in 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, and the past two seasons.

    The two schools are the only programs to ever win a 4A championship since the classification began in 1994.

    Kent Denver returns a loaded lineup with Willie Gould (No. 1 singles), Casey Ross (No. 2 singles), the coach’s son, Jack Moldenhauer (No. 3 singles) and Kevin Adams and Nico Hereford (No. 1 doubles), and brothers, Blake and Drew Parsons (No. 2 doubles).

    “They are head and shoulders above us,” Adams said about the Sun Devils. “They have one of the strongest teams this year that I’ve seen. I think they have the strongest 1-2 (singles, Gould and Ross) that I think this state has seen in a long time. In my mind, this is one of the best Kent Denver teams that I can recall, period. There’s no doubt in my mind, they are the best team in 4A and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are the best team in the state (4A or 5A).”

    A year ago, the Sun Devils ended up with 86 points and edged Colorado Academy, which finished with 78 points. Colorado Academy has been the state runner-up two years in a row and is expected to be a top team in 2015.

    In 5A, Cherry Creek’s powerhouse boys tennis program is under new leadership. Art Quinn, the lead assistant for the Bruins the past few seasons is now the head coach for Creek.

    Quinn takes over for longtime coach Kirk Price, who led the Bruins to an incredible 40 of the last 45 Class 5A team titles, including last year. In 2014, Creek’s players won titles at No. 2 singles and Nos. 1-3 doubles.

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    Boys tennis preview

    Class 4A

    • Defending state champion: Kent Denver
    • Regular season begins: Aug. 21
    • Regional tournaments: Oct. 8-10
    • State tournament: Oct. 15-17, Pueblo City Park Tennis Complex
    • Returning all-state players: Kevin Adams, Sr., Kent Denver (1st); John Baron, Sr., Colorado Academy; Tyler Fairbain, Sr., Colorado Academy (1st); Noah Forman, Sr., Colorado Academy (1st); Willie Gold, Sr., Kent Denver (1st); Niko Hereford, Jr., Kent Denver (1st); Blake Parsons, Sr., Kent Denver (1st); Drew Parsons, Sr., Kent Denver (1st); Travis Rase, Sr., Kent Denver (1st)

    Class 5A

    • Defending state champion: Cherry Creek
    • Regular season begins: Aug. 21
    • Regional tournaments: Oct. 8-10
    • State tournament: Oct. 15-17, Gates Tennis Center in Denver
    • Returning all-state players: Luca Abbott, Jr., Regis Jesuit (1st); Jacob Bendalin, Jr., Cherry Creek (1st); Wyatt Dale, Jr., Cherry Creek (1st); Ethan Hillis, Jr., Cherry Creek (1st); Ryan James, Jr., Cherry Creek (1st); Mitchell Johnson, So., Cherry Creek (1st); Max Koszowski, Regis Jesuit (1st); Alec Leddon, Sr., Fairview (1st); Erin Norwood, Sr., Cherry Creek (1st)

  • Boulder names Doug Kazarosian new boys tennis coach

    Boulder Mountain Range boys tennis
    (Pam Wagner)

    Boulder has hired Doug Kazarosian as its new boys tennis coach, Panthers athletic director Eddie Hartnett announced on Thursday night.

    Kazarosian had been the coach at Broomfield for the past five seasons. He replaces Adrian Games, who was the coach for two seasons but took a job in California this summer. Games led Boulder to a fourth-place finish at state in 2014.

    Kazarosian led Broomfield to two regional championships (2013 and 2011), and has coached a number of state qualifiers, including a run of qualifying five players from 2010-12.

    He’s also been a tennis pro for 25 years, and currently teaches at the Broomfield Swim and Tennis Club.

    Kazarosian is a well-accomplished tennis player in his own right, and was ranked No. 1 in men’s 4.5 singles in 2004, and No. 6 in men’s 40 singles in 2013.

    Kazarosian has lived in Boulder for 26 years, according to Hartnett.

  • Cherry Creek names Quinn new boys tennis coach

    Cherry Creek huddles after winning the 5A title. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
    Art Quinn is the new coach of Cherry Creek boys tennis. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    Cherry Creek’s powerhouse boys tennis program has a new coach. Art Quinn, the lead assistant for the Bruins over the past few seasons, was hired as coach by athletic director Jason Wilkins on Monday.

    He takes over for longtime coach Kirk Price, who retired after yet another championship last fall. Under Price, the Bruins have won 40 of the last 45 Class 5A team titles.

    Quinn is also the lead instructor at Lifetime Fitness, and filled in when Price missed the 2013 championships.

    The Bruins have won four-consecutive 5A team championships. Last season, players won titles at No. 2 singles, and Nos. 1-3 doubles.

  • Tennis committee recommends penalties for lineup-stacking

    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    AURORA — The tennis committee on Tuesday recommended implementing sanctions for teams that are stacking their lineup in order to gain a competitive advantage.

    There is currently no penalty that punishes teams found to be stacking their lineup, also known as a ladder. However, it is a strong ethical violation in the sport.

    When a team stacks its lineup, they will put a player many feel is better at a lower position in order to have a better chance of winning that match. Or, in another example, upperclassmen want to play together on a doubles team instead of playing singles because they think they’ll have a better opportunity to advance to the state tournament.

    “Many times, we hear that coaches disregard this ethical violation because there is no quantitative consequence,” said CHSAA assistant commissioner Bethany Brookens, who oversees tennis.

    The tennis committee met at the CHSAA office on Tuesday, and a main point of emphasis was the stacking of ladders. Ultimately, the committee recommended “serious consequences if blatant stacking is observed.”

    Specifically, if the stacking is not corrected, the head coach will be put on restriction — meaning they would miss the postseason — and the team would not be able to participate in regionals or qualify for state at the position where the violation occurred.

    This recommendation will need to be approved at January’s Legislative Council meeting along with the rest of the tennis committee report.

    Tuesday, the committee recommended the following process to evaluate lineups:

    • A formal complaint about the same team must by made by two separate athletic directors to the CHSAA office.
    • CHSAA will send a letter to the team in question altering them to the complaints, and will “request documentation from the challenge matches.”
    • A three-member committee (made up of members of the tennis committee) will head out “within a short timeframe” and evaluate the player(s) in question during a match.
    • If the committee “feels that blatant stacking is happening,” the school will need to fix its lineup for the next match and the remainder of the season. If this does not occur, the coach will go on restriction, and the team cannot participate at regionals, or qualify for the state tournament, at the position.
    • If the school corrects its lineup, no penalty will be imposed.

    Each season, the CHSAA office receives roughly one-to-two complaints about a team stacking its ladder. The belief is that many do not officially report violations because there is currently no penalty for a violation.

    “It’s the hope of the committee that this lineup evaluation committee will never have to go out and monitor matches,” Brookens said. “We hope that coaches are inclined to do what is morally and ethically correct. Your best player should play at No. 1 singles, your second-best at No. 2 singles, and so on.”

  • All-state boys tennis teams for 2014 season

    5A boys tennis state
    Fairview’s Ignatius Castelino is the 5A boys tennis player of the year. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

    The 2014 all-state boys tennis teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

    These teams were created based upon results at the state meet.

    The athletes who won championships at their classification were named players of the year.

    Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.

    [divider]

    Class 5A

    Player of the year: Ignatius Castelino, Sr., Fairview

    Coach of the year: Kirk Price, Cherry Creek

    First team
    Name Year School
    Luca Abbott So. Regis Jesuit
    Jacob Bendalin So. Cherry Creek
    Ignatius Castelino Sr. Fairview
    Wyatt Dale So. Cherry Creek
    Ethan Hillis So. Cherry Creek
    Ryan James So. Cherry Creek
    Mitchell Johnson Fr. Cherry Creek
    Max Koszowski Jr. Regis Jesuit
    Alec Leddon Jr. Fairview
    Tommy Mason Sr. Fairview
    Erin Norwood Jr. Cherry Creek
    Noah Reiss Sr. Cherry Creek

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    Class 4A

    Player of the year: Spencer Lang, Sr., Niwot

    Coach of the year: Randy Ross, Kent Denver

    First team
    Name Year School
    Kevin Adams Jr. Kent Denver
    John Barron Jr. Colorado Academy
    Tyler Fairbain Jr. Colorado Academy
    Noah Forman Jr. Colorado Academy
    Willie Gold Jr. Kent Denver
    Niko Hereford So. Kent Denver
    Fletcher Kerr Sr. Colorado Academy
    Spencer Lang Sr. Niwot
    Blake Parsons Jr. Kent Denver
    Drew Parsons Jr. Kent Denver
    Travis Rase Jr. Kent Denver
    Andrew Thompson Sr. Kent Denver

  • Photos: 5A boys tennis state tournament concludes

    DENVER — The Class 5A boys tennis tournament concluded at the Gates Tennis Center on Saturday. Cherry Creek won the team championship, while Fairview’s Ignatius Castelino won the No. 1 singles title.

  • Kent Denver holds off Colorado Academy for second straight 4A boys tennis title

    4A state tennis
    Kent Denver’s team gathers on the podium and celebrates their 4A tennis title. (Zach Marburger/CHSAANow.com)

    PUEBLO — Mother Nature may not have cooperated, but nothing could put a damper on the smiles of Kent Denver’s boys tennis team this weekend.

    Ignoring the ugly weather and holding off a surging Colorado Academy squad, Kent Denver captured its second straight Class 4A boys tennis championship Saturday at Pueblo City Park.

    Heavy rain Friday caused major delays and forced the tournament to run late into Saturday afternoon, setting up a tension-filled final few hours for Kent Denver head coach Randy Ross.

    “Are you sure we got it?” asked Ross in the waning minutes of championship action. “I’m very excited obviously. This is what we work for and play for. It’s great that it turned out to be such a close margin actually. It’s great for high school tennis. We had a lot of good battles out there today. It was fun.”

    Kent Denver finished with a total score of 86. Colorado Academy finished in second with 78 total points. Find complete 4A results here.

    Both squads captured three individual championships Saturday. For Kent Denver, it was their dominance in doubles that secured the overall team victory. Duo Andrew Thompson and Travis Rase won the No. 3 doubles bracket, brothers Blake Parsons and Drew Parsons came out on top in No. 2 doubles, and Kevin Adams and Niko Hereford won the No. 1 doubles bracket.

    Colorado Academy’s Fletcher Kerr and Noah Forman won the No. 2 and No. 3 singles bracket, respectively. John Barron and Tyler Fairbain also added a championship to Colorado Academy’s tally in No. 4 doubles.

    In third place with 54 total points was Niwot, thanks in large part to the work of senior Spencer Lang, who defeated Kent Denver’s Willie Gold 6-4, 6-2 to capture the No. 1 singles championship.

    4A state tennis
    Niwot’s Spencer Lang, right. (Zach Marburger/CHSAANow.com)

    For Lang, who came in third in last year’s No. 1 singles bracket, it was a taste of redemption in the final tennis match of his high school career.

    “Last year was really heartbreaking. It really wanted it,” said Lang after his victory. “Coming into this match I was pretty nervous. Last high school match. I’ve had this goal for a very long time and I just wanted to control what I could control.”

    What Lang controlled over and over again was his powerful serve, though after the match said the biggest key was his ability to stay away from opponent Gold’s strength.

    “My serve was really good today. Probably the best it’s been all tournament,” said Lang. “I thought I was really good coming in, catching with my volleys, not letting him dictate. I know he (Gold) has a really good forehand.”

    With the state championship, Lang joins his brother Harrison in the state record books. The elder Lang bother won the No. 1 singles championship for Niwot in 2012.

    For state champion Kent Denver and Ross, Saturday was the culmination of a season in which they knew they had a target on their backs. According to Ross, his team of veterans didn’t mind one bit.

    “We knew this would be a good year for us, but so did everybody else in the world,” said Ross. “Therefore, every time they played us, they brought their best tennis, and that’s good. It made my guys live up to their reputation.”

    The championship is Kent Denver’s fourth title since 2008, and Ross’ seventh overall. Thanks to the wacky weather and dramatic finish, Ross believes that this year’s title is particularly memorable.

    “Yesterday was a challenging day, just sitting around the hotel and trying to keep the boys from doing anything they weren’t supposed to do,” said Ross with a laugh. “But it was a great evening last night, playing under the lights.

    “This was a memorable tournament. People are going to be talking about this one for years. This tournament here brings out the best in a lot of people. I love this place. I love this tournament.”

  • 4A boys tennis goes deep into the night on Day 2

    (Bethany Brookens/CHSAANow.com)
    (Bethany Brookens/CHSAANow.com)

    Near-constant rain forced a long delay in the Class 4A boys tennis state tournament for the second day in a row.

    Thursday, it was 5-hour, 42-minute delay. Friday blew that out of the, um, water.

    Play didn’t start until 6:18 p.m. because of wet courts — amounting to a delay of nine hours and 18 minutes. It ultimately was split into two sites, with No. 4 and No. 3 doubles playing at least one round at Pueblo Centennial High School. Play didn’t finish until 11 p.m. on Friday.

    (Bethany Brookens/CHSAANow.com)
    (Bethany Brookens/CHSAANow.com)

    But everyone powered through — players, coaches, officials, tournament directors, parents, volunteers. It meant that the tournament, which was looking at potentially finishing on Sunday, got back on track and finished play through the quarterfinals.

    Semifinals are scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday. Playbacks will immediately follow. If all goes smoothly, finals and the third- and fourth-place matches will take place later Saturday.

    After Day 2, Colorado Academy and Kent Denver are tied for the team lead with 21 points apiece. Niwot is in third with 17. Mullen and Air Academy each have 12 points, and are tied for fourth place.

    Find full results from the 4A tournament here.

  • Cherry Creek’s latest boys tennis championship sends coach Price out on top

    5A boys tennis state
    Retiring Cherry Creek boys tennis coach Kirk Price is doused with a celebratory bucket of water. More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

    DENVER — Who knows how it all started.

    The success, the individual champions, the team championships.

    It’s been a great 45-year ride for Cherry Creek boys tennis coach Kirk Price.

    That ride, at least as a head coach, ended Saturday at the Gates Tennis Center when Price coached the Bruins to their fourth consecutive team title. Cherry Creek finished with 83 total team points, besting second-place Fairview (58) and third-place Denver East (45). (Find full 5A results here.)

    Price is ceding his head coaching duties. Ironically, he didn’t start out in education and athletics striving to become a tennis coach. A math teacher, his athletic interest focused on the pool.

    He started as a swim coach for the DU Hilltoppers club team, then gravitated to head coach at Cherry Creek. Through it all, he coached 188 All-Americans in 19 years.

    As a club coach, he was used to working with large number, working with as many as 350 kids.

    With tennis gaining popularity at Cherry Creek, the head coach needed somebody used to coaching large numbers.

    “He wanted somebody who could work with kids,” Price said.

    5A boys tennis state
    Cherry Creek coach Kirk Price. More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

    Whether in the pool or on the tennis court, Price knew there was more to athletics than the sports’ basics.

    “There’s something about coaching kids,” he said of his philosophy. “You need to teach kids.”

    By that, he means mentoring young athletes on how to be responsible citizens in addition to being good tennis players.

    As the national chairman of high school tennis coaches, he’s seen some very successful mentors who didn’t necessarily win a lot of titles.

    “You don’t need to win to be successful,” he said.

    But he still relishes the victories, as Cherry Creek won its 40th state team title in 45 years on Saturday, Price earning the obligatory water cooler dousing from his team at the awards ceremony.

    He cites programs in less affluent areas where coaches deserve recognition.

    “There are coaches who coach kids who don’t own tennis racquets,” he noted.

    At Cherry Creek, he hasn’t had that problem.

    “My secret is I have a very organized booster club,” he said.

    He’s also been fortunate as the head coach for 25 years to have strong support from his assistants, including four paid and six volunteers.

    With the influx of new schools and more students over the years, “For me to remain at the top all these years, to me it’s a miracle,” he said.

    He took great joy in having a dozen or so former players approach him at this year’s state meet, and exchanging stories with parents of former opposing players.

    Fear not — the program will remain strong despite his stepping down. And he won’t leave the sport entirely. He’ll volunteer his time at events around the state.  He’s too ingrained in the sport to give it up completely.

    And he’ll have time to reflect on a very productive career as coach of one of the most successful high school athletic programs in any sport.

  • Fairview’s Castelino, three-time runner-up, rallies to win 5A boys tennis title

    5A boys tennis state
    Fairview’s Ignatius Castelino. More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

    DENVER — Finally. Finally. After three years, after seemingly always being second, Ignatius Castelino is a state champion.

    The Fairview senior, appearing in his fourth-consecutive state championship match at the Class 5A boys tennis tournament, beat Cherry Creek’s Ethan Hillis, 1-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5 in a title bout that will long be remembered. For many reasons.

    For starters, Castelino entered the match having been a runner-up each of the past three seasons. He was second in No. 3 singles as a freshman, second at No. 2 as a sophomore and second at No. 1 last season.

    Then, on Saturday, again in the No. 1 singles final, Castelino dropped the first set, 6-1.

    It was enough to where at the break between sets, “I was thinking, ‘Might as well pack up my bags and go home.’ I thought I was done,” Castelino said afterward. “I told my mom, ‘Second place for the fourth year in a row.’”

    5A boys tennis state
    Fairview’s Ignatius Castelino. More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

    Said Chad Tsuda, Fairview’s coach, “I told him, ‘Ethan just pretty much outplayed you that set.’ The nice thing about tennis is you always get another chance.”

    But Hillis nearly put Castelino away. Ever so nearly. Twice, the Cherry Creek sophomore had match point, leading 5-4 in the second set. Castelino staved both off, then went on to win the set in a tiebreaker.

    “He came as close (to losing) as you could,” Tsuda said. “The thing Ignatius maintained was that he didn’t really cave. He’s been in so many situations where it may have just been easier to say, ‘Ah, it’s not my day again.’ But he kept fighting.”

    By the time the third set opened, every other court at the state championships was done playing. So the duo on center court took center stage in front of a big crowd.

    Castelino jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the set, though Hillis battled back to knot it at 5-5. In the next game, they went back and fourth, and back and forth, and again, with Castelino finally emerging to take a 6-5 lead.

    Then, knotted 30-30 in what proved to be the final game of the final set, Hillis made an unforced error to give Castelino a 40-30 lead. The sophomore then slammed his racket on the ground, and was given a point violation. He had been warned in the first set. The violation meant Castelino won the game, and the set, and the match.

    Castelino was a champion. Finally. Perhaps no other player has deserved it more.

    “He’s had a very good career which any one would be happy with,” Tsuda said. “I think just getting so close so many times, this has to feel so special for him, especially being a senior — kind of knowing this was his last chance. It added, definitely, more pressure to him, but pressure that he handled well.”

    Ultimately, Castelino also drew energy from the crowd — including his teammates, who were courtside.

    “I fed off my team, for sure,” he said. “I loved it, it was great.”

    After all the near misses, after seemingly always leaving the state tournament with a lingering taste of defeat, Castelino has his championship.

    “This feels amazing,” he said. “It’s something that could’ve happened the last three years, but finally happened. I’m happy it happened finally. It’s the best way to go out, senior year, as a state champ.”