With boys golf officially wrapped up, state championship season continues as the boys tennis state tournaments begin Thursday. After a shortened tournament last year, both the Class 5A and 4A tournaments are back with their classic formats that will also include playback brackets.
The 5A tournament will be played at Gates Tennis Center in Denver, while the 4A tournament is at the City Park tennis courts in Pueblo. Several teams are in the championship hunt in both classifications, and there are plenty of standout individuals hoping to play their way to titles.
Here is an overview of both classifications ahead of the start of the tournaments later this week.
Class 5A // Brackets Team outlook: The race for the team title will look very familiar in 5A.
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village),
Fairview (Boulder) and
Regis Jesuit (Aurora) have qualified all seven positions and will have their traditional battle to claim a team title. It was Cherry Creek claiming gold last year, and the Bruins hope they have the horses to fend off the Knights and Raiders and leave Gates Tennis Center as champions once again.
No. 1 Singles: Regis Jesuit's
Conor Kaczmarczyk has to be one of the odds-on favorite to win the top singles title. His 22-1 record is impressive, but it's significant to point out that his one loss came to
Nathan Gold of
Kent Denver (Cherry Hills Village) at the Cherry Creek Invite. Cherry Creek's
Aram Izmirian advanced to the semifinals of that tournament but lost to Kaczmarczyk in three sets. Should the two get back to the finals at state, it should make for a thrilling rematch and one that could also have a major impact on the team championship race.
Conner Smith on
Monarch (Louisville) also has an opportunity to make a run at the top singles title but will likely have to get by Kaczmarczyk in the semifinals.
No. 2 Singles: Drew Schell of
Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) suffered just one loss through the regular season and enters the second singles bracket with a solid chance of winning the whole thing. But even a solid chance might not result in the desired result as the bracket is filled with talented players.
Zach Hartman of
Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) is 12-4 on the season and is every bit as capable as making a championship run as anyone. The same can be said for
Denver East senior
Mason Heimel who went 24-2 through the course of the season. The No. 2 singles bracket might be the most competitive bracket at either tournament this week.
No. 3 Singles: And if the No. 2 singles in 5A is the most competitive bracket, the No. 3 singles bracket isn't far behind. Cherry Creek's
Kiril Kostadinov is undefeated but will have a slew of talent to go through in order to claim a title.
Trevor Landen of
Heritage (Littleton) has played well all season, as has Denver East's
Ryan Pool. Even with a heavy favorite like Kostadinov in the bracket, the competition will still be wide open when play begins.
No. 1 Doubles: Chaparral (Parker) has a chance to enter the title picture in the top doubles slot as
Duke Mooney and
Spencer McQueen will try to cap off a successful season with a state championship run. They went 8-2 as a team during the season and are one of the teams that should still be in contention when semifinals roll around Friday.
Boulder's Will Curl and
Ezra Doherty are also going to try and make a title run after going 15-6 through the season.
No. 2 Doubles: Cherry Creek's
Casey Dennis and
Matt Hu racked up a 17-1 record and look intent on getting through the bracket and claiming a state title. They're biggest competition will likely be Regis Jesuit's
Charlie Jenkins and
Tanner Smith. The No. 2 doubles race should have a significant impact as those teams battle for the team title.
No. 3 Doubles: Lakewood's Brian Kong and
Mathis Joens are looking to play the part of spoiler for this bracket. They've put together a solid season going 11-5, giving them a legitimate shot to win this title.
No. 4 Doubles: An experienced team of
Peter Buckley and
Ryan Souther are looking to get
Arapahoe (Centennial) on the podium for No. 4 doubles. They went 8-4 on the season and want to carry their momentum from regionals into the state tournament.
Class 4A // Brackets Team outlook: Having all positions playing at state is certainly a way to get the inside track on the team title. Kent Denver,
Air Academy (US Air Force Academy),
Palmer Ridge (Monument) and
George Washington (Denver) each have every position in play at the start of the tournament.
Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) has six positions qualified and could be in the mix if those six can make deep runs in their brackets. There are several schools with five positions playing, among them is
Niwot, the defending team champion.
No. 1 Singles: Kent Denver freshman Nathan Gold heads into the state tournament with a 15-0 record, making him one of the favorites to come away with the title. He'll be the spark that could ignite the Sun Devils' return to its status as the elite tennis program in the state.
Gavin Hutter of
Sand Creek (Colorado Springs) is another player that could make a run. The junior got a true taste of the state tournament a year ago and has played great all season, racking up a 14-1 record. With those two players on the opposite ends of the bracket, it would make for an exciting state championship match should they play to their abilities and meet in the finals.
No. 2 Singles: Cheyenne Mountain is without a top singles player in the tournament, so
Joseph Martensen is the Red-Tailed Hawks' best shot to score big points through the weekend. He has a record of 10-5 this season but should make his way through the bracket and put himself into contention for a state title.
Pueblo County senior
Dean DeCarlo has put together a 9-2 record throughout the year, and with state being held close to home, he should utilize a level of home-court advantage to also take a run. Two wins would get him into the semifinals where anything can happen.
No. 3 Singles: Niwot senior
Alan Wilcox has a great opportunity to keep the Cougars in the title picture if he can make a run through the bracket. There are some challenges ahead for sure, as Kent Denver's
Reed Haymons will provide a potentially tough semifinal match. On the flipside of the bracket is another senior looking to close out his career with a championship pursuit.
Ian McLeod of
Dawson School (Lafayette) is 7-2 on the season and came out of Region 4 with a championship and wants to carry that momentum through the state bracket.
No. 1 Doubles: The
Erie duo of
Trent Bowers and
Sam Stem have yet to record a loss on their record this season. They went 4-0 when teamed together in the top doubles position and want to maintain that undefeated streak through just three more days of competition. Their biggest challenge could come in the semifinals as they might run into the
Grand Junction team of
Jase Satterfield and
Bailey Rubinstein who have amassed an impressive 20-3 record throughout the course of the season. They got pushed to three sets in the regional semifinals against Aspen before taking down Grand Junction Central in two sets.
No. 2 Doubles: Asher Kiser and
Luke Brooks have been solid all year and hope to give Air Academy a good look at a state title for this doubles bracket. They've gone 16-4 as a team and have a good chance to break through the second doubles title and grab a state championship for the Kadets.
No. 3 Doubles: The
Colorado Academy (Denver) duo of
Will Whalen and
Gabe Gottlob have gone 8-3 this season and enter the bracket with a solid shot at winning a state title for the Mustangs. There is experience within the team as Whalen got to the second round of the No. 2 doubles bracket last fall.
No. 4 Doubles: George Washington has a formidable duo in
Eddie Strand and
Carlisle Wright, who went 11-2 leading up to the state tournament. They'll have some tough competition from Thompson Valley and potentially Cheyenne Mountain, but they're hoping to get through the bracket and claim a title.
