CHSAANow

Category: Boys Tennis

  • Colorado preps media points out athletes to watch this fall

    State cross country generic
    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    As the summer days begin to fade away, it’s nearly time to start looking to the fall. The official start of practice is just weeks away and once the ball gets rolling, the 2019-20 athletic season will consume coaches, athletes and fans for the better part of nine months.

    Over the last few weeks, CHSAANow.com has featured returning stat leaders from various sports (football leaders will come next week), but the real question that lingers is who is everyone excited to see?

    So we asked.

    We shot emails to various outlets throughout the state and asked them who they’re excited to see once competition starts next month while adding a few names of our own.

    [divider]

    The Pueblo Chieftain’s Marcus Hill and Austin White

    Athlete: Marvin London Jr.
    Year: Senior
    School: Pueblo East
    Sport: Football

    Why to watch: Marvin London Jr. had a team-high 73 receptions for the Eagles last season. He also had 1,083 yards and seven touchdowns — both second to only Kain Medrano.

    Athlete: Samantha Meehan
    Year: Senior
    School: Pueblo County
    Sport: Volleyball

    Why to watch: The Hornets senior ran rampant through the South-Central League last season and helped Pueblo County go 10-0 in league play. She led the Hornets with 284 kills, 24 aces. Meehan along with the core of Hornets hope to repeat as S-CL champs this season.

    CHSAANow.com’s Dan Mohrmann

    Athlete: Trey Jones
    Year: Senior
    School: Palmer Ridge
    Sport: Boys golf

    Why to watch: Jones has a little bit of work cut out for him this fall, but in terms of the Colorado Springs area, he’s one of the top returning golfers. He finished tied for 18th at the Class 4A state tournament and this summer tied for 14th in the JGAC Junior PGA Championship on the difficult Blue Course at the Air Force Academy.

    9News’ Taylor Temby

    Athlete: Katie Fankhouser
    Year: Senior
    School: Lyons
    Sport: Girls Cross Country

    Why to watch: Katie is a phenomenal multi-sport athlete. This fall, the 2018 runner of the year will look to defend her 2A cross-country individual state title, one that helped the Lions claim just their second ever team championship. A side note – she is also the third ranked female junior freestyle kayaker in the WORLD. To say she is competitive would be a huge understatement.

    Athlete: Gavin Sawchuk
    Year: Sophomore
    School: Valor Christian
    Sport: Football

    Why to watch: Expect Gavin to carry the same energy and momentum from his freshman season into his sophomore campaign. He put up 13 touchdowns for the Eagles in 2018 – in large part due to his speed. Sawchuk posted the fastest 100m dash time in the Colorado during the spring track and field season, and he already boasts several D1 football offers.

    Athlete: Alexisius “Q” Jones
    Year: Junior
    School: Fountain-Fort Carson
    Sport: Football

    Why to watch: Q. Jones had anything but a good ending to his season. In his first year in a Trojan varsity uniform, he amassed 1,738 all-purpose yards. But his season was cut short due to a leg injury. FFC coach Jake Novotny told us this summer that Jones will be ready to go. He’s reportedly getting looks from the University of Colorado and Wyoming and the list is expected to grow upon his return to the field.

    The Coloradoan’s Kevin Lytle

    Athlete: Nikki McGaffin
    Year: Sophomore
    School: Fossil Ridge
    Sport: Softball

    Why to watch: McGaffin starred in the pitching circle as a freshman in 2018 to help the SaberCats win 21 games. She went 14-1 with a 1.78 ERA (second in 5A), striking out 122 in 90.1 innings pitched.

    Athlete: Tate Satterfield
    Year: Senior
    School: Poudre
    Sport: Football

    Why to watch: Satterfield was eighth in 5A in 2018 with 1,238 rush yards, scoring 14 touchdowns on the ground. He’ll be a key part of an experience Poudre team that could challenge for the Front Range League title.

    The Durango Herald’s John Livingston

    Athlete: Madeleine Burns
    Year: Senior
    School: Durango High School
    Sport: Girls Cross Country

    Why to watch: A year after Burns finished 13th in the 4A girls cross country state race, she is back as a senior looking for a podium finish for the Demons. Last spring, she won the girls 3,200 meter run at the 4A state track and field meet and backed it up with a third-place finish in the 1,600. She broke the school record in the 5K last year the Liberty Bell Invitational and is primed for a big senior season after a summer of competing around the country.

    Athlete: Millie O’Ketter
    Year: Senior
    School: Durango High School
    Sport: Volleyball

    Why to watch: A senior libero and outside hitter, O’Ketter has already verbally committed to Northern Arizona University to play Division I volleyball. This summer, she competed in the Global Challenge International volleyball tournament in Croatia, helping her team to a 5-2 overall record in the udner-18 division with the lone losses coming to first-place Italy and second-place Netherlands. She led her team with 47 of the squad’s 111 digs and also led the team in serve receive accuracy and was second in assists.

    Athlete: Leland Heinicke
    Year: Senior
    School: Durango High
    Sport: Boys soccer

    Why to watch: As a junior, Heinicke had a team-high 14 goals and added four assists to help lead the Demons to the fourth seed in the 4A state tournament. At 6-foot-4, Heinicke is dangers when he gets his head on the ball in set pieces, and he has the skill to once again lead Durango on a playoff push.

    Other athletes to watch:

    Laurin Krings (Loveland softball): The returning 5A player of the year is on a mission to bring home a state championship.

    Amelia McCarthy (Cherry Creek field hockey): After falling short in the state championship game last year, McCarthy has the talent to take the Bruins to the top of the field hockey mountain.

    Kole Taylor (Grand Junction Central football): Taylor hauled in eight touchdown catches in 2018 and recently committed to LSU. He makes the Warriors an instant threat when he’s on the field.

    Cruz Culpepper (Niwot boys cross country): Last year’s 4A champ has ambitions of defending his championship this fall.

  • CHSAA inducts six members and the 1999 Columbine football team as its 30th Hall of Fame class

    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    DENVER — The members of the 2018 CHSAA Hall of Fame were inducted during a ceremony on Wednesday night at the Denver Marriott Tech Center.

    The inductees: Scott Elarton (Lamar), Jack Klapper (Denver East), Bart Stevens (Flagler), Patty Childress (Otis, Palisade, Grandview), Morton Dickson (Woodland Park), Terri Ward (Niwot), and the 1999 Columbine football team.

    They are the 30th class in the history of the Hall of Fame, which began in 1989.

    Columbine football coach Andy Lowry spoke on behalf of the class, saying, “We all appreciate CHSAA and this evening, and the humbling award we received this night. What a great honor this is.”

    Biographies of each of the new members are included below. With their inclusion, CHSAA’s Hall of Fame now has 204 members.

    [divider]

    PATTY CHILDRESS (Otis, Palisade, Grandview) – [Coach/Sponsor]

    Longtime volleyball coach who posted a 493-170 career coaching record. Her teams won 5 state titles, finished second five times and had another two final 4 appearances.

    She has earned numerous coaching honors from the Colorado High School Coaches Association and the Sportswomen of Colorado.

    She was coach of the year 8 times and was the Dave Sanders Award recipient in 2013.

    [divider]

    MORTON DICKSON (Woodland Park) – [Coach/Sponsor]

    Morton Dickson was a vocal music teacher for Woodland Park for 34 years, during which time his programs were one of the most active and successful ones in the CHSAA Music Festivals.

    Rarely did his programs receive any rating lower than “Superior.” His students regularly earned top spots in the CMEA All-State Choir.

    He continues to judge the CHSAA festivals.

    [divider]

    SCOTT ELARTON (Lamar) – [Student Participant]

    One of the state’s most dominating prep athletes, Elarton’s baseball team won four consecutive state titles and were runners-up twice in basketball.

    He was named Player of the Year six times, four in baseball and twice in basketball.

    He earned Prep All-America honors in baseball.

    He was a first round selection in the 1994 MLB amateur draft by the Houston Astros, and played professional baseball for 19 years, 10 of those in the major leagues.

    [divider]

    JACK KLAPPER (Denver East) – [Student Participant]

    One of the state’s most dominating tennis players, Klapper won three No. 1 singles championship (only 3-year high schools back then) and was just the second player to ever do so.

    The other one is in the CHSAA Hall of Fame. He led his team to three straight state team titles under CHSAA Hall of Fame member Bill Weimar.

    Following high school, Klapper played tennis and squash at MIT. He has been a neurologist in Denver for the past 50 years.

    [divider]

    BART STEVENS (Flagler) – [Student Participant]

    One of the state’s top small school athletes, Stevens led Flagler High School to a 45-5 football record and was named the A8 Player of the Year twice.

    He was a four-time all-state selection in football and ran for 1,956 yards, threw for 4,559 yards, scoring 25 times on the ground and had 67 TD passes. He played basketball for two years and medaled at the state tournament twice.

    He played collegiately at CSU-Pueblo and then became a teacher, coach and administrator.

    [divider]

    TERRI WARD (CCGS/Niwot) – [Significant Contributor]

    Dedicated to girls’ sports, Ward has been the constant driver and facilitator for the Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports.

    Her tireless efforts on behalf of young female athletes is unsurpassed in Colorado.  A teacher and coach at Niwot, Ward has been at the center of many activities benefiting and enhancing opportunities for the girls’ athletes of state.

    She has been a fixture for women’s leadership throughout her career with CCGS, Sportswomen of Colorado, Niwot High School and many volunteer activities at the state and national level.

    [divider]

    COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL 1999 – [Team]

    April 20, 2019 is the 20th Anniversary of the Columbine shootings. Its impact on the world, nation, state and community was immense and devastating.

    People across the globe followed the Columbine football team, watching the healing process and resiliency of that school and, in particular, its football team. Media scrutiny was overwhelming and the pressure on the team incredible.

    The team beat Cherry Creek 21-14, and head coach Andy Lowry was coach of the year and three players made the All-Colorado team that year, more than any other school.

  • Jeffco student-athletes sign their National Letter of Intent

    JEFFERSON COUNTY — It was another banner day for student-athletes in Jeffco Public Schools on Wednesday, Feb. 6.

    More than 100 signed their National Letter of Intent to a wide range of colleges and universities across the country. Arvada West, Chatfield, Columbine, Dakota Ridge, Golden, Pomona and Ralston Valley all held celebrations Wednesday to honor their students who will continue their academic and athletic careers at the next level.

    To date, more than 150 student-athletes from Jeffco have signed National Letter of Intents this school year. That number will surely grow with three more final signing days coming up April 1, May 15 and August 1.

    [divider]

    Jeffco’s signers on National Letter of Intent — Feb. 6

    Arvada West High School
    Christaana Angelopulos, softball, University of Wisconsin
    Chase Biel, football, Colorado State University-Pueblo
    Ashleigh Burr, women’s soccer, Colorado Mesa University
    Cory Carignan, football, Minot State University
    Anthony Cass, football, Colorado State University-Pueblo
    Timothy English, football, Presentation College
    Dominic Folks, baseball, Barstow College
    Christopher Gist, football, Nebraska Wesleyan University
    Makenna Fowler, women’s soccer, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
    Gianna Haley, softball, Black Hills State University
    Mark Hunter, baseball, Blue Mountain College
    Madison Johnson, women’s soccer, Wayne State College
    Latham Kleckner, men’s soccer, Gustavus Adolphus College
    Johnny Krutsch, football, Bethel University
    Brady Legault, football, Nebraska Wesleyan University
    Chris McEahern, football, Colorado State University
    Ella McShane, women’s swimming & diving, Chapman University
    AJ Ortez, football, Fort Lewis College
    Theresa Price, women’s tennis, Hastings College
    Devin Smith, cross country & track, Nebraska Wesleyan University
    Dori Sterne, women’s soccer, Colorado State University-Pueblo
    Michael Vandenberg, football, Nebraska Wesleyan University

    Bear Creek High School
    Megan McGriff, women’s lacrosse, Marietta College

    Chatfield Senior High School
    Sam Low, baseball, Mesa Community College
    Luke Lachance, baseball, Doane University
    Ben Kornegay, baseball, Northeastern Junior College
    Jack Kornegay, baseball, Northeastern Junior College
    Dalton Dillard, baseball, Barstow Community College
    Julia Geiger, volleyball, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
    Kayleigh Conner, volleyball, Doane University
    Alexa Alameddin, volleyball, Fort Lewis College
    Tedy Reed, women’s basketball, Colorado College
    Bailey Truex, women’s lacrosse, Fresno State University
    Kevin Peterson, men’s soccer, Colorado College
    Noah Haddad, men’s soccer, Radford University
    Christian Holmes, men’s tennis, Utah State University
    Anthony Johnston, football, Western Colorado University
    Broc Doughty, football, Bethany College
    Cameron Austin, football, Bethany College
    Sydney Williams, cross country/track, Colorado School of Mines

    Columbine High School
    Jake Gimbel, baseball, Lamar College
    Chance Goodson, baseball, Southeast Community College
    Braiden Fritz, baseball, Hastings College
    Logan DeArment, football, Colorado School of Mines
    Cole Parrott, football, University of Northern Colorado
    Evan Durbin, football, Drake University
    Ben Earnest, football, Kearney University
    Jaden Armbrust, football, Concordia University
    Cody Ramming, football, Colorado State University-Pueblo
    Corbin Curry, football, Colorado State University-Pueblo
    Grant Keim, football, Luther College
    Maddie Hadden, women’s rugby, Central Washington
    Taryn Elsner, women’s soccer, Knox College
    Kelsey Akins, volleyball, Lake Forrest College
    Grayson Mix, men’s water polo, University of California-San Diego
    Teagan Simons, men’s lacrosse, Monmouth College

    Dakota Ridge High School
    Joseph Ashley, men’s golf, Buena Vista University
    Andrew Eickelman, men’s lacrosse, Colorado Mesa University
    Jacob Eickelman, men’s lacrosse, Colorado Mesa University
    Riley Fisher, men’s lacrosse, Colorado Mesa University
    Ryan Kissinger, men’s lacrosse, Colorado Mesa University
    Jackson Lamb, men’s basketball, Case Western Reserve
    Elliot Pigati, baseball, Alvin Community College
    Ryan Stohr, baseball, Air Force Academy
    Austin Vancil, cross country, University of Colorado

    D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School
    Isabella Porreco, softball, Yavapai College

    Golden High School
    Elizabeth Henshaw, women’s soccer, Culver-Stockton (MO)
    Katie Dunson, softball, Lamar Community College
    Jonah Wimbish, boys soccer, Augustana (IL)
    Jack Walters, football, Colorado School of Mines

    Lakewood High School
    Pierce Holley, football, Georgetown University
    Jacob Brunner, men’s lacrosse, Johns Hopkins University
    Elyse Hatch Rivera, women’s soccer, Macalester College
    Isaac Garcia, men’s swimming, St. Ambrose University

    Pomona High School
    Justin Pacheco, wrestling, Air Force Academy
    Theorius Robison, wrestling, University of Northern Colorado
    Colten Yapoujian, wrestling, Cornell University
    Brooke Weins, gymnastics, University of Oklahoma
    David Ross, football, University of Northern Colorado
    Colten Muller, football, Colorado Mesa University
    Luke Rohweder, football, Colorado Mesa University
    Jack Thiele, football, University of Wyoming (preferred walk-on)
    Billy Pospisil, football, Washington State University (early graduate)
    Michael Marquez, football, Dakota College at Bottinuea
    Jaime Wolf, softball, Garden City Community College
    Peyton Westphal, women’s soccer, Hastings College
    Jim Gassman, baseball, Tabor College
    Trevor Abernathy, baseball, Marshalltown Community College
    Cameron Berthold, men’s golf, Southern Virginia University

    Ralston Valley High School
    Peyton Anderson, women’s ice hockey, Northeastern University
    Savannah Brown, women’s soccer, Johnson and Wales University
    Mackenzie Friedman, women’s rowing, University of Wisconsin
    Levi Johnson, football, Colorado School of Mines
    Jessica Lemmon, women’s soccer, Laramie County Community College
    Keaton Maring, men’s swimming, SUNY Oswego
    Lexi Mueldener, women’s golf, Grinnell College
    Maya Provencal, women’s track, Duke University
    Brad Roberts, football, Air Force Academy
    Ben Schneider, football, University of Northern Colorado
    Tanner Spirek, men’s lacrosse, Colorado Mesa University
    Isaac Townsend, football, University of Oregon

    [divider]

  • Video: November’s Jeffco Preps With Pleuss

    A roundup of Jeffco prep highlights from October with Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ Communication Specialist. This month’s edition features Chatfield senior Christian Holmes making history on the tennis court. We focus on Columbine and Golden softball programs both winning league titles. Arvada West boys soccer team gets a victory over rival Ralston Valley. Chatfield football gets a dramatic victory over Wheat Ridge. Columbine’s running game is hitting on all cylinders heading toward the football playoffs.

  • All-state boys tennis teams for the 2018 season

    The 2018 all-state boys tennis teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

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

    The athletes who won No. 1 singles championships at their classification were named players of the year.

    [divider]

    Class 5A

    (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Player of the year: Christian Holmes, Chatfield
    Coach of the year: Laura Jones, Regis Jesuit

    First team
    Name Year School Position
    Jack Abbey Junior Denver East 3 Doubles
    Matt Batmunkh Sophomore Cherry Creek 2 Doubles
    Barry Dechtman Junior Denver East 3 Doubles
    Brady Elliott Freshman Fossil Ridge 4 Doubles
    Kosta Garger Senior Regis Jesuit 2 Singles
    Emilio Gonzalez-Cruz Junior Regis Jesuit 1 Doubles
    Christian Holmes Senior Chatfield 1 Singles
    Conor Kaczmarczyk Freshman Regis Jesuit 3 Singles
    Andrew Marocchi Sophomore Cherry Creek 2 Doubles
    Evan Nuss Junior Regis Jesuit 1 Doubles
    Morgan Schilling Sophomore Regis Jesuit 1 Singles
    John Shelby Freshman Fossil Ridge 4 Doubles

    [divider]

    Class 4A

    Colorado Academy boys tennis Richter Jordaan
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    Player of the year: Richter Jordaan, Colorado Academy
    Coach of the year: Brian Singer, Colorado Academy

    First team
    Name Year School Position
    Caleb Aguirre Junior Colorado Academy 1 Doubles
    William Coors Senior Kent Denver 3 Doubles
    Nicholas Dietrich Sophomore Colorado Academy 2 Doubles
    Emmett Ela Junior Colorado Academy 1 Doubles
    Ryan Gaghen Sophomore Colorado Academy 4 Doubles
    Richter Jordaan Senior Colorado Academy 1 Singles
    Casey Klutznick Senior Kent Denver 3 Doubles
    Nick Lorenz Senior Discovery Canyon 1 Singles
    Will Miller Sophomore Colorado Academy 4 Doubles
    Will Smart Sophomore Colorado Academy 2 Doubles
    Clark Steinhauser Sophomore Colorado Academy 2 Singles
    Braeden Thomas Sophomore Colorado Academy 3 Singles

  • Photos: Action from the 4A boys state tennis tournament

    PUEBLO — The 2018 Class 4A boys state tennis tournament was played at Pueblo City Park. Colorado Academy won team championship after winning six of seven position titles.

    [divider]

    [ngg_images source=”galleries” container_ids=”1363″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_pro_mosaic” row_height=”180″ margins=”5″ last_row=”justify” lazy_load_enable=”1″ lazy_load_initial=”35″ lazy_load_batch=”15″ display_type_view=”default” ngg_proofing_display=”0″ captions_enabled=”1″ captions_display_sharing=”0″ captions_display_title=”0″ captions_display_description=”1″ captions_animation=”slideup” is_ecommerce_enabled=”1″ order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”10000″]

  • Photos: 5A boys tennis state tournament Day 2

    DENVER — The second day of the Class 5A boys tennis state tournament was held on Friday.

    [divider]

    [ngg_images source=”galleries” container_ids=”1359″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_pro_mosaic” row_height=”180″ margins=”5″ last_row=”justify” lazy_load_enable=”1″ lazy_load_initial=”35″ lazy_load_batch=”15″ display_type_view=”default” ngg_proofing_display=”0″ captions_enabled=”1″ captions_display_sharing=”0″ captions_display_title=”0″ captions_display_description=”1″ captions_animation=”slideup” is_ecommerce_enabled=”1″ order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”10000″]

  • 5A boys state tennis: Chatfield’s Christian Holmes repeats at No. 1 singles

    DENVER — Chatfield senior Christian Holmes can now be considered the best boys tennis player ever to come out of Jeffco.

    Holmes became the first boys tennis player from Jeffco Public Schools to successfully defend a No. 1 singles state title in the largest classification. The senior defeated Regis Jesuit sophomore Morgan Schilling (7-5, 7-5) on Saturday morning during the Class 5A championships at Gates Tennis Center to make history.

    He also the first repeat No. 1 singles champ in 5A since 2012.

    “It’s super fun,” said Holmes, who has always stressed how much he loves the high school experience at Chatfield High School. “Like I’ve always said, for Chatfield it’s an awesome experience. Everything goes to my family and coaches.”

    Chatfield senior Christian Holmes took a 7-5, 7-5 victory Saturday to repeat at the Class 5A No. 1 singles state champion. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    The journey was not easy this season for Holmes. Saturday was seven weeks and a day since Holmes had surgery on his right knee to clean up a torn meniscus he suffered in August. He was back on the court just before the state-qualifying regional tournament last week.

    “My doctor actually just cleared me Tuesday to play tennis after regionals, which probably wasn’t the best thing,” Holmes admitted with a smile. “The knee feels awesome and that makes it feel that much sweeter. A lot of hard work with physical therapy and my dad (Stephen Holmes) has been awesome just feeding me balls on the ball machine.”

    Holmes made it a priority to get back on the court despite already having a state championship title.

    “I had hopes he would, but he had nothing to prove,” Holmes’ dad said. “He won last year so we didn’t put pressure on him. I really wanted to be part of the high school team and they really wanted him to come back.”

    Early on it looked like Schilling wasn’t going to allow the storybook ending for Holmes’s prep tennis career. The sophomore jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening set.

    Regis Jesuit sophomore and No. 1 singles player Morgan Schilling helped the Raiders to the Class 5A team title. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “I was just really tight,” Holmes said of falling behind. “I was super nervous. Honestly, I could barely sleep last night because I was just so excited to play. At the same time I was so freaking nervous.”

    Holmes gathered himself to win 7 of 8 games to close out the first set with a 7-5 win. His serve got going to win some easy points. Holmes credited the large Chatfield crowd that included students, faculty and parents on getting him going too.

    “Our crowd was awesome. They helped me a lot. They got me hyped up to fight back,” Holmes said. “Tennis is such a quiet sport. A crowd means everything. I feed off a crowd for sure. That was huge for me.”

    The 11th game in both sets proved to be huge too. Holmes broke Schilling’s serve during both sets with it tied 5-5. That gave Holmes the chance to serve out the first set and then the match in the second set.

    “When it gets to 5-5 it really my last shot. A tiebreaker is really a coin toss,” Holmes said of being able to avoid a tiebreaker twice. “I really pushed in those 11th games in those sets so I could serve it out.”

    Next up for Holmes is looking at his college options.

    “He is talking to big school and wants to go to BYU,” Stephen Holmes said. “He has some good opportunities.”

    Schilling, who actually lost to Holmes at No. 1 singles in a first-round match last year, will have two more years at chasing the priced No. 1 single title.

    Regis Jesuit was able to bring home the 5A state team title. The Raiders were able to distance themselves from Cherry Creek by winning state titles at No. 2 and 3 singles, along with No. 1 doubles.

    A little more than seven weeks after knee surgery, Chatfield senior Christian Holmes repeated as the Class 5A No. 1 singles state champion. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Regis Jesuit wins team championship at 5A boys tennis

    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    DENVER — On the dawn of the Class 5A boys state tennis tournament, a ripple of supporters in red and white lined the stands. They arrived at the Gates Tennis Center hoping to see Regis Jesuit clinch the program’s first team crown since 2010.

    With only a couple of victories needed during the final matches, the Raiders held the upper hand on longstanding contender Cherry Creek by nine points at the start of Saturday’s final matches.

    They earned those wins with a collection of single and double state champions, securing the team title with a final tally of 76-65 over the Bruins. Fairview was third with 29 points and Denver East finished fourth with 28.

    Senior Kosta Garger (No. 2 singles over Austin Kattenhorn of Broomfield 6-0, 6-1), freshman Conor Kaczmarczyk (No. 3 singles over Cherry Creek’s Drew Miller 6-3, 4-6, 6-0), and Emilio Gonzalez-Cruz and Evan Nuss (No. 1 doubles over Fairview’s Beck Chrisbens and Brody Pinto 6-1, 6-2) all earned titles for Regis in their respective divisions.

    Teammates Grigor Karakelyan and Phillip Albright won their third place match at No. 2 doubles.

    “We achieved everything we wanted to achieve this year,” Regis coach Laura Jones said. “We have our two seniors (Garger, Nuss) who have been here many times, they have a state championship to take home. I’m really happy for them.”

     A blend of experience and youthful players on the rise proved to be a winning formula for the Raiders. Garger was especially eager to taste championships after runner-up showings in No. 3 doubles his freshman year and No. 2 singles last year.

    “Winning a state championship was my goal for a long time and I’m just glad I finally pulled it off,” he said. “I’ve been pretty determined the whole year. I think the desire to win and just knowing I could do it, and using those past experiences, helped fuel the fire to get the team going and myself going.”

    Gonzalez-Cruz and Nuss have each had storied careers as now winners of their third state crown (No. 2 doubles the previous two seasons). Nuss, a member of the doubles team with Garger his initial season, is a senior and Gonzalez-Cruz is a junior.

    “It’s not like they’re flashy and it’s not like they’re the biggest or the strongest hitters,” Jones said. “They learned the game of doubles and they execute it like pros. They deserve it.”

    Veterans like Nuss and Garger will be difficult to replace as they stepped in and made an immediate impact for the team donned in red and white, then capped their careers in championship fashion.

    Even so, Regis coach Laura Jones will boast a high-level roster in 2019 as sophomore Morgan Schilling (No. 1 singles runner-up) and freshman Kaczmarczyk will return, as will Nathan Tolva and Jack Carbone (No. 4 doubles runner-up to Fossil Ridge’s Brady Elliott/John Shelby 7-5, 6-4, 7-6).

    “How incredible it is to get a kid who is that poised and that mature,” Jones said of the talented first-year player who rallied back from a second set loss to defeat a Creek senior at No. 3 singles.

    “We knew he was a great tennis player, but I had no idea how much poise and composure he was going to bring with him to this team. I’m so proud of him to beat Drew Hill, who we’ve played multiple times in this venue. I knew he was going to be a tough competitor, but Conor just came out and rocked that third set like there was no tomorrow.”

    Rather than look ahead too much to what could be another special season next fall, Regis wanted to soak in and celebrate the school’s fourth team championship in boys tennis. The other winning years were 2010, 2000, and 1991.

    “It’s been a journey,” Jones, whose first season at Regis was in 2010, said. “I feel like we’ve developed an entire reputation and just a great sense of family and team at Regis Jesuit. They’ve worked really hard with each other to get here today.”

    Chatfield senior Christian Holmes made it back-to-back state titles at No. 1 singles with a winning tally of 7-5, 7-5 over Schilling. A season ago, he became the first Jeffco Public School winner in the top singles spot in the largest classification since 1996 (Wheat Ridge’s Bryan Knepper).

    In the No. 3 doubles title match, the Denver East tandem of Jack Abbey and Barry Dechtman defeated Fairview’s Ryan Grayson and Adam Heilbronner 6-3, 6-4.

    The Bruins’ Andrew Marocchi and Matt Batmunkh were victorious at No. 2 doubles over East’s Will Franks and George Weaver 6-1, 6-1, helping a storied Cherry Creek program finish second in the team standings. The Bruins have claimed a remarkable 42 championships, a state record.

  • 4A boys tennis: Richter Jordaan, Colorado Academy march to state titles

    Colorado Academy boys tennis Richter Jordaan
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    PUEBLO — It was a good day for those wearing the logo of Colorado Academy. The Mustangs put a stamp on their run to the Class 4A boys state tennis championship, winning six of seven individual titles while running away with the team championship.

    As the matches had cleared the courts and players and spectators stood around waiting for the awards ceremony to start, Colorado Academy coach Brian Singer sat on a bench by himself, making sure he hadn’t imagined what had transpired over the last two hours.

    “This has been an incredible day for all of us and for the boys,” he said. “I’m so proud of them. This is coming off five second (place finishes) and finally, we’re taking the big trophy home.”

    And the Mustangs came away with the featured individual championship in No. 1 singles. Richter Jordaan beat Discovery Canyon’s Nick Lorenz 6-1, 7-5 to end his career as the best 4A player in the state.

    It was an appropriate way to end that career. Jordaan and Lorenz have been friends, teammates and rivals for the better part of 10 years. So for the final match to come down to the two of them facing off was almost too perfect of a way to wrap up the season.

    “It was definitely fitting,” Jordaan said. “My first-ever juniors match when I was a kid was against Nick. We’ve been juniors doubles partners and we’ve been rivals all through juniors. It was nice to have played him in the finals.”

    Jordaan broke Lorenz’s first serve of the first set, establishing clear momentum through to start the match. In the second set, the seeds of a three-set tiebreaker were planted as Lorenz built a 5-2 lead, only to see Jordaan re-establish that momentum and come away with the win.

    4A boys state tennis
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    “I was a little disappointed because I had that good lead in the second set,” Lorenz said. “I just couldn’t close it out. He started playing a little bit better but there was no excuse to lose that bet.”

    It was a tough mental battle on both sides of the net. The two players knew each other so well that they aren’t necessarily able to read each other’s style and play at a high level to get the win. They both feel the nerves that come with competing against a friend and the play isn’t as clean as they would like it to be.

    “I think it’s tougher for both of us because we’ve been doubles partners for a long time,” Lorenz said. “Any time that we play each other we always talk about how we’re super tight and we don’t play our best.”

    At the end, it was Jordaan who had played better. As he and Lorenz shook hands after the win, he had teammates spill on the court to break the news to him that the team title had also been clinched.

    “I was excited to hear that we had clinched it,” Jordaan said. “I wasn’t paying attention to any of the other matches, I was just focused on my match. But it was exciting.”

    Clark Steinhauser scored the first points of the day for Colorado Academy, beating Niwot’s Riley Black in No. 2 singles. When Caleb Aguirre and Emmett Ela grabbed a 6-4, 6-3 win over Niwot’s Sam Keronen and Manas Saini in No. 1 doubles, the Mustangs officially clinched enough points to claim the championship.

    Colorado Academy came one match away from history as no 4A team had ever won titles in all seven positions. The only team to finish second was the No. 3 doubles team of Bennett Liu and Zachary Brinker who fell to Kent Denver’s William Coors and Casey Klutznick.

    Niwot finished in second place as a team and got five positions into finals matches. Dawson was the 2018 winner of the Vicky Matarrazo Sportsmanship Award.

    4A boys state tennis
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)