5A state tennis: Cherry Creek, Valor Christian still tied for team lead heading into final day

DENVER – The Cherry Creek boys tennis team has won 43 team championships, which means just about every year there has to be at least one team that’s trying to give the Bruins a run for their money on the final day of the state tournament.

This year, that pursuer is Valor Christian. And the Eagles aren’t just giving the reigning champions a run for their money, they’ll be dead even with the Bruins at 73 points apiece when Day 3 opens at Gates Tennis Center at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

“Honestly, just being mentioned in the same breath with Cherry Creek on any level is a wonderful day,” Valor Christian head coach Bill Epping said. “We came in pretty free and playing easy. We played loose all day and hopefully we can have that same attitude tomorrow. But we know who Creek is and you don’t win 43 championships without being talented. To have a chance tomorrow is all we came in asking for.”

Cherry Creek and Valor Christian opened Day 2 in a tie atop the team standings, and both advanced to finals at six positions. They will meet head-to-head at No. 2 singles, No. 3 singles, No. 1 doubles, No. 2 doubles and No. 4 doubles.

Understandably, both teams feel good about where they are positioned and are preparing for an exciting final round of finals and third-place matches.

“I thought our players and coaches performed admirably,” Cherry Creek head coach Art Quinn said. “There was some adversity on the court and some opportunities for us to grow ourselves and our character. For the most part, I would say that all players and coaches really took care of business. It looks to be pretty much a head-to-head shootout between us and Valor, meeting up in five draws. There’s still points on the board at third place matches too.

“As we know, the state tournament combined a set of energies and realities that are not always easy to sum up from the history you had from the regular season. It’s just a different blend of dynamics that creates some unanticipated and thrilling examples of performance and even heroism.”

All finals and third-place matches will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Gates Tennis Center.