(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER — The level of play in Class 5A boys tennis has been on a steady rise, and looks to be at a high-water mark this fall.
The depth has turned the state tournament into one of the most competitive in recent years. A total of eight teams qualified all seven positions for the draw, which is the most since at least 2010.
Boulder, Broomfield, Chatfield, Cherry Creek, Denver East, Fairview, Mountain Vista and Regis Jesuit each qualified 11 players for the field.
“State’s more competitive than it’s been in a while,” said Denver East coach Mark Thalhofer.
The competition has also done something else to this state tournament: The team race is just that — a race. That’s a contrast to the past two decades or so, where Cherry Creek has won 19 of 21 championships in 5A, including the last four.
“It really is a race this year,” said Regis Jesuit coach Laura Jones. “We’re here to play and really try to win. Where some years, you come and you just know, ‘Well, we’re just going to do the best that we can.’ But there are probably six teams that could walk away with that state championship this year.”
Added Chad Tsuda, Fairview’s coach: “That’s what’s fun. This year, obviously (Cherry) Creek is the favorite, but there’s a lot of teams that can compete this year, one through seven positions. It’s not just a given anymore, come tomorrow, that Cherry Creek is (going to clinch a title). Which, obviously has been true in the past.”
With having 11 players in the tournament, “You have a great chance” at a team title, said Doug Kazarosian, the coach at Boulder. “In the past, it wasn’t that way. There were nowhere near as many horses in the stalls for all the schools.”
So why the change?
“I think it’s two-fold,” said Jones, the Regis coach. “One, I think Cherry Creek lost some really good players that could be playing for them and that always pull them to be up on a pedestal up above all of us. But I do think that there are other teams that are more competitive all the way through their lineup, not just at one and two singles. There is a lot of good doubles coaching going on.”
Doubles. It’s a hot topic at the 5A tourney. And it’s the link as to why team depth would be on the rise: The depth within the teams themselves is on the rise.
“I feel like what’s happening is a lot more athletic kids are coming out for tennis,” said Mountain Vista coach Jim Flanigan. “And you’re seeing it more at the lower positions, kids who necessarily didn’t play tennis growing up. They picked it up in high school.”
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“For us,” said Kazarosian, the Boulder coach, “it’s the baseball players. North Boulder in particular has a really strong program and history there. So these baseball players come in with amazing hands, and coachability. It really instantly adds depth because you’re adding great, dexterous athletes.”
It’s something that points toward the growth of the sport.
“Getting more kids involved in tennis is something that I think can only help tennis in this state,” said Jones, the Regis coach. “I think it’s a good trend and I certainly would love to see it continue. … More people with different uniforms on all out there playing each other. It’s pretty cool.”
Cherry Creek coach Art Quinn took it a step further.
The growth, he said, “is all over the place. Singles, doubles. I think teams have continued to develop and get deeper throughout the years, which is good for everybody. It’s good for the sport.”
And while it could be easy for Cherry Creek, the reigning power, to dismiss the rise in depth, the Bruins welcome it.
“After many decades — having been a player myself at Cherry Creek — certainly, we have our own pursuit of excellence ourselves,” Quinn said, “but it never hurts to have somebody chasing you down to make you run a little faster.”
After the first day of play, the parity in the team race was evident. Cherry Creek, still favored to win a fifth-straight title, leads the field with 21 points. Fairview was second with 18. Behind them? Regis Jesuit and Denver East are tied with 15, and Boulder has 11 points.
It’s a race for the title.
“That just makes this tournament so much more fun,” said Tsuda, the Fairview coach. “It’s nice to see no easy matches. You’ve got to be ready to play Thursday at 9.”
“Hopefully more parity will make us all better,” added Quinn, the Cherry Creek coach.
The depth, the competition, the parity — whatever you want to call it — has injected energy into the environment at Gates Tennis Center, which plays host to the 5A tournament.
“I think it generates a heck of a lot more excitement down here,” Kazarosian said. “It’s an incredibly energetic place to begin with, but when you have that kind of depth of field, it goes beyond a puncher’s chance. You really feel like everyone’s got a legit shot at pulling out a team victory.”