HIGHLANDS RANCH | Last season, most of the Cherokee Trail boys tennis team lasted just a single round in regional tournament play.
On Thursday, the Cougars were on the courts plenty in the late stages of the Class 5A Region 5 tournament at Redstone Park, as they battled for the program’s first trips to the 5A state tournament.
When it was all done, Cherokee Trail had one singles player and three doubles teams earn their way to the Oct. 10-12 at the Gates Tennis Center in Denver. Coach Liz Siegel’s team managed to finish third in a loaded regional that was dominated by Mountain Vista, while the Cougars also finished behind Heritage, but ahead of Columbine by a point.
Freshman Dylan Zumar and the doubles teams of Ryan Richardson and Vik Shervada (No. 1), Cody Luhmann and Colin Richardson (No. 2) and Cameron Bergan and David Lai (No. 3) all lost to Mountain Vista in championship matches, but still earned their way to state.
For Zumar, whose older brother Corey also played No. 1 singles at Cherokee Trail in the recent past, it didn’t require a playback victory. Zumar’s first round upset of Heritage’s Christian Slupe proved to be key, as it prevented Slupe — who won the third place match — from challenging him for a trip to state.
The Cougars’ No. 3 team of Bergan and Lai also didn’t need a playback, as they defeated Heritage’s Andrew Dallakoti and Oliver Henry in straight sets in the semifinals. The Eagles went on to win the third-place match, but couldn’t have a playback against Bergan and Lai, who lost a 6-1, 6-4 decision to Enzo Ortiz de Zarate and Kobe Holdren of Mountain Vista in the finals.
Ryan Richardson and Shervada had to go the playback rout after they lost 6-0, 6-0 to dominating Austin Gruszczynski and Vamsi Senthilvel of Green Mountain in the No. 1 doubles championship match. They battled with Columbine’s Cole La Fonte and Chris Collins through the first set, which they eventually won 7-5, then rolled 6-0 in the clinching set.
Colin Richardson and Luhmann suffered a 6-2, 6-0 defeat against Mountain Vista’s Maciek Lazarski and Alex Boyarko in the No. 2 doubles title match, which dropped them into a playback against Spencer Martin and Ethan Lanz of Columbine. Eventually coming through in the clutch parts of each set, the Cougars outlasted the Rebels 7-6 (5), 7-5.
The Cherokee Trail No. 4 doubles team of Sidharth Tiyagi and Logan Schwanz earned their playback chance by winning the third-place match, but didn’t have enough left to get past Heritage’s Keegan Hofer and Warren Hartzler.
Grandview also played in the tournament, but failed to win a match.
CLASS 5A REGION 5 BOYS TENNIS TOURNAMENT
At Redstone Park, Highlands Ranch
Team scores: 1. Mountain Vista 84 points, 2. Heritage 44, 3. CHEROKEE TRAIL 36, 4. Columbine 35, 5. George Washington 16, T6. GRANDVIEW 0, T6. Horizon 0
Championship matches
No. 1 singles: Vignesh Senthilvel (Mountain Vista) def. Dylan Zumar (Cherokee Trail), 6-1, 6-1; No. 2 singles: Ben Antonsen (Mountain Vista) def. Any Wright (Columbine), 6-1, 6-1; No. 3 singles: MIchael Shin (Mountain Vista) def. Kyle Iverson (Columbine), 6-2, 6-2; No. 1 doubles: Austin Gruszcczynski/Vamsi Senthilvel (Mountain Vista) def. Ryan Richardson/Vik Shervada (Cherokee Trail), 6-0, 6-0; No. 2 doubles: Maciek Lazarski/Alex Boyarko (Mountain Vista) def. Cody Luhmann/Colin Richardson (Cherokee Trail), 6-2, 6-0; No. 3 doubles: Enzo Ortiz de Zarate/Kobe Holdren (Mountain Vista) def. Cameron Bergan/David Lai (Cherokee Trail), 6-1, 6-4; No. 4 doubles: Blake Warner/Ashwin Vaithianathan (Mountain Vista) def. Keegan Hofer/Warren Hartzler (Heritage), 6-4, 6-2
Third-place matches
No. 1 singles: Christian Slupe (Heritage) def. Galen Graham (Columbine), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4); No. 2 singles: Mitch McGregor (Heritage) def. Zach Stieneker (George Washington), 6-3, 6-2; No. 3 singles: Cameron McGregor (Heritage) def. Lovie Hoffenberg (George Washington), 7-5, 6-3; No. 1 doubles: Cole La Fonte/Chris Collins (Columbine) def. Keaton Komatz/Tanner Steiert (Heritage), 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5); No. 2 doubles: Spencer Martin/Ethan Lanz (Columbine) def. Preston Slupe/Jack Sullivan (Heritage), 6-4, 5-7, 6-3; No. 3 doubles: Andrew Dallakoti/Oliver Henry (Heritage) def. Cole Casey/Peter Heller (Columbine), 6-2, 6-3; No. 4 doubles: Sidharth Tiyagi/Logan Schwanz (Cherokee Trail) def. Jacob Kark/David Wollins (George Washington), 6-1, 6-4
Playbacks
No. 1 doubles: Ryan Richardson/Vik Shervada (Cherokee Trail) def. Cole La Fonte/Chris Collins (Columbine), 7-5, 6-0; No. 2 doubles: Cody Luhmann/Colin Richardson (Cherokee Trail) def. Spencer Martin/Ethan Lanz (Columbine), 7-6 (5), 7-5; No. 4 doubles: Keegan Hofer/Warren Hartzler (Heritage) def. Sidharth Tiyagi/Logan Schwanz (Cherokee Trail)
