4A girls tennis: Schaffer repeats in No. 1 singles, Cheyenne Mountain wins ninth-straight team title
PUEBLO — Before Saturday had even started, Cheyenne Mountain had claimed its ninth-straight Class 4A girls tennis championship.
But Kent Denver’s Josie Schaffer wasn’t about to let the Indians have all the glory.
The sophomore claimed her second-straight title in No. 1 singles, besting Durango’s Mavis Edwards 6-1, 6-2 at Pueblo City Park.
Prior to the outcome, Schaffer entered the match the same way she had entered every match this weekend. It may not have been clearly visible, but she was batting nerves the entire time.
“There were so many,” Schaffer said.
But she settled in quickly by breaking Edwards’ first serve of the match to take a 2-0 lead in set one.
Edwards held in the fourth game of the set to stop Schaffer’s run, but she knew she was in for a challenge by the way Schaffer was striking the ball and moving around the court.
“She’s good,” Edwards said. “You can’t do anything about it. Her game didn’t really go with mine. Her game is better than better than mine.”
Schaffer broke Edwards again in game six and held her serve to win the set.
Edwards rebounded to start set two, holding her serve to take the first game. But Schaffer once again found her rhythm and jumped to a quick 3-1 lead. Edwards would hold one more time, but the defending champ was too much for Durango’s first-timer.
As dominant as she had been, Schaffer didn’t get ahead of herself and didn’t allow to her accept victory until the final point fell her way.
“I’ve had matches where I’ve been up 5-1 and people have come back,” she said. “It’s really dangerous thinking you’re going to win when you’re up by that much so I just tried to stay in the moment.”
The top singles bracket was the only one that did not have a Cheyenne Mountain player standing atop the podium. Though they had separated themselves on Friday, the Indians officially claimed their ninth-straight title.
The biggest drama of the day took place in the No. 2 singles final. Corey Patton Lossner edged Kent Denver’s Amanda Schlatter 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-0.
A team title was well in hand, but the Indians rallied around Patton Lossner as if their title hopes depended on it.
“It was amazing just having my team support me, it’s so much fun,” Patton Lossner said. “It’s very different from the team I came from in Hawaii. No one else really played so I was the only girl to ever go to state. Coming to a team where everyone goes and we can all play together is fantastic.”
The duo of Casey Ahrendsen and Ally Arenson came away with their fourth title in No. 1 doubles. Overall the team lost only five games at the state tournament and dropped only one set in their state tournament career.
The Indians finished with 91 points overall, 45 better than second-place Kent Denver.
For coach David Adams, seeing his team celebrate a championship in May is a feeling he will never tire of.
“That’s the best part of this whole thing,” he said. “Just seeing that kind of comradery.”
With the win on Saturday, the Indians now claim 22 championships in school history.
