DENVER | Last season, the Class 5A team state championship dual ended with two matches still on the court when Cherry Creek got the requisite number of wins to top Regis Jesuit.
In the rematch Tuesday with the same stakes, the Raiders and Bruins played all the way down to one concluding match in a matinee at the Denver Tennis Park.
Under the spotlight to break a 3-3 tie, Cherry Creek’s sophomore tandem of Sam Migliaccio and Devan Shah rebounded from a shutout loss in the opening set of the No. 3 doubles match to defeat Regis Jesuit senior Carl Siegel and sophomore Edward Samuelson 0-6, 7-6, 6-2 to give the Bruins’ a 4-3 win.
Cherry Creek remained unbeaten in the three seasons since the sport moved to a dual format and it now has five straight team championships and 47 all-time. Regis Jesuit had been in search of its sixth all-time title and first since 2019.
Both teams put up early victories at roughly the same time.
Cherry Creek senior Charlie Stern finished off a 6-3, 6-1 win over Regis Jesuit sophomore Alec Rodriguez-Fields (the 5A individual state champion) at No. 1 singles, which was countered by the Raiders’ win at No. 2 doubles from senior KC Eckenhausen and junior Adam Rydel over the Bruins’ Wills Possehl and Tyson Hardy.
It was a flip in results from the individual state finals for Eckenhausen and Rydel, who were at the top of their game in the key moments of the rematch.
Coach Laura Jones’ Regis Jesuit then rode the surge to a 3-1, as the No. 1 doubles team of junior Clay Dickey and sophomore Vlad Sukhovetskyy and freshman Blake Wright at No. 2 singles closed out victories.
Both results were opposite what had transpired a few days earlier during the individual state tournament. Dickey and Sukhovetskyy dropped a tight three-set semifinal to Cherry Creek’s Luke Norford and Trevor Robinson that cost them a shot at the state title (they went on place third) but got a cathartic 6-4, 6-4 victory in the rematch.
Blake Wright’s only loss of the season came to the Bruins’ Jack Loehr in the No. 2 singles individual final, but he bounced back with a 6-4, 6-3 victory to take the season series 2-1 against Loehr and aid his team in its quest for the team title.
Cherry Creek crept back to even with victories from Aidan Washer at No. 3 singles over Regis Jesuit freshman Sebastian Wright at 6-0, 4-6, 6-2 (the same end result as when they met in the individual event final), while the No. 4 doubles team of Mitchell Kelly and Truman Wooden flipped their individual final loss to Regis Jesuit seniors Spencer Buege Aiden Prananta with a 7-6, 7-5 victory.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2024 CLASS 5A BOYS TENNIS TEAM STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
(2) CHERRY CREEK 4, (1) REGIS JESUIT 3
No. 1 singles — Charlie Stern (Cherry Creek) def. Alec Rodriguez-Fields (Regis Jesuit), 6-3, 6-1
No. 2 singles — Blake Wright (Regis Jesuit) def. Jack Loehr (Cherry Creek), 6-4, 6-3
No. 3 singles — Aidan Washer (Cherry Creek) def. Sebastian Wright (Regis Jesuit), 6-0, 4-6, 6-2
No. 1 doubles — Clay Dickey/Vlad Sukhovetskyy (Regis Jesuit) def. Luke Norford/Trevor Robinson (Cherry Creek), 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 doubles — KC Eckenhausen/Adam Rydel (Regis Jesuit) def. Wills Possehl/Tyson Hardy (Cherry Creek), 6-3, 6-4
No. 3 doubles — Sam Migliaccio/Devan Shah (Cherry Creek) def. Carl Siegel/Edward Samuelson (Regis Jesuit), 0-6, 7-6, 6-2
No. 4 doubles — Mitchell Kelly/Truman Wooden (Cherry Creek) def. Spencer Buege/Aiden Prananta (Regis Jesuit), 7-6, 7-5