The Regis Jesuit boys tennis team knows how difficult it will be to win the Class 5A state championship, but the Raiders know one thing for sure.
Points from singles players are an absolute must if they hope to challenge powerhouse Cherry Creek and the likes of Boulder, Fairview for the top spot at the tournament, which runs Oct. 15-17 at the Gates Tennis Center in Denver.
For the first time since 2011, Regis Jesuit will have a No. 1 singles player at the state tournament, as senior Tommy Koszowski won the Region 3 championship. Joined by senior Max Koszowski at No. 2 and senior Chanon Penvari at No. 3, coach Laura Jones’ Raiders are as experienced and strong in singles as they’ve been since the 2010 group that won the state championship.
“You’ve got to get singles points or you’re not going to win, that’s the way weights are given,” Jones said on Oct. 8 after Regis Jesuit swept all three singles and all four doubles positions at the Region 3 tournament.
“To go in as No. 1 seeds across the board it should be an advantage and maybe we can get some points. Even if we don’t come home with the state title, we can gather some points to help the team.”
No. 1 singles has been particularly troublesome for Regis Jesuit in recent years. Not since Tyler Brasel went in 2011 have the Raiders had a qualifier at the position, so Tommy Koszowski is looking forward to what he can do now that he’s earned his opportunity.
Koszowski moved up from No. 1 doubles last season and topped twin brother Max — who won a state championship at No. 4 doubles with junior Luca Abbott last year — in a challenge match to take the top spot.
Now, he’s where he wants to be and well aware of the program’s recent state struggles at No. 1 singles.
“I’m just hoping to take it one match at a time and get some points for the team,” Koszowski said.
Max Koszowski also relishes his first chance to play at state as a singles player. He has played at a high level all season, losing just one match to Heritage’s Jack Alexander in the regular season finale.
Penvari makes his third state appearance as a singles player and has earned a place before, so he knows what it takes.
Regis Jesuit has experienced doubles players in senior Steven Bummer (who made the No. 3 doubles final last year) and junior Erich Nuss at No. 1 and Abbott and sophomore Patrick Seby at No. 2, while the two new teams — the No. 3 team of freshmen Kosta Garger and Evan Nuss and the No. 4 tandem of Will Dennen and Matt McCarthy — each have a roll going ahead of state.
Aurora teams could score plenty of points in singles play, with the quality and quantity of the state qualifying field.
In the No. 1 spot, Overland junior Draden Hoover joins Tommy Koszowski in the upper half of the draw and is eager to improve on his first trip to state as a freshman when he failed to win a match.
Hoover, who did not play high school tennis last season, lost just two matches all season, both to state qualifiers in Arapahoe’s Jake Becker and Monarch’s Derek Wright, his opponent in the Region 7 championship match.
Besides Max Koszowski, the No. 2 singles draw includes Cherokee Trail senior Cameron Bergan, a three-time state qualifier, as well as Overland sophomore Dawid Kijak, who makes his debut. Bergan has played at state as a singles player and in doubles and faces a large task in the opening round as he goes against Cherry Creek’s Robby Hill.
At No. 3 singles, Penvari is joined by Cherokee Trail senior David Lai, who will make his second state appearance, plus first-time qualifier Ben Warren of Grandview.
In doubles play, the Wolves have a two-time state-qualifying duo in senior Chris Burris and sophomore Matthew Yan at No. 2 doubles, the same position where the Cougars qualified senior Colin Richardson and junior Tom Parsons.
Richardson qualified previously as a sophomore, while Parsons is in his first trip after moving in from out of state. The two teams could face each other with first round wins, with Cherokee Trail owning a close victory over Grandview.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
