5A Boys Tennis: Cherry Creek Outlasts Regis Jesuit for 47th Team Title
By Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com
Photo: Brad Cochi/CHSAANow
DENVER – For the 47th time in school history, Cherry Creek is the Class 5A boys tennis team champion.
In a rematch of last year’s team title dual, the No. 2 Bruins won 4-3 over No. 1 Regis Jesuit to cap the 2024 Class 5A Boys Tennis Dual Team State Championships on Tuesday at Denver Tennis Park.
“It’s special like always,” Bruins head coach Art Quinn said. “We’re together, sharing the things that we love to do and helping one another become better – better people, better players. We’re embracing the challenge of these moments that will endure throughout our lives and it’s nice to be able to look back and remember them. It’s great now and it’ll be even greater later.”
Cherry Creek has won five straight team titles. This most recent championship was closed out by a three-set victory from No. 3 doubles pair Sam Migliaccio and Devan Shah in the final match on the court.
With their title-clinching win, Migliaccio and Shah finished the season unbeaten.
“Coming out of 2020, everybody’s had challenges,” Quinn said. “This is an older team. There’s six seniors who are going to graduate and some of them have come through the ranks. I’m just proud of them for engaging in the moment and not being afraid. When you are afraid, then embrace that fear and try to grow from it. And what better way to feel like you have a moment than coming down to the last set of the last match of the season and remain undefeated.”
At No. 1 singles, Cherry Creek’s Charlie Stern won 6-3, 6-1 over Regis Jesuit’s Alec Rodriguez-Fields. In the No. 2 singles final, Regis Jesuit’s Blake Wright beat Cherry Creek’s Jack Loehr, 6-4, 6-3. In the third singles match, Cherry Creek’s Aidan Washer won 6-0, 4-6, 6-2.
For Stern in particular, Tuesday’s dominant victory was a resounding moment, as he did not even place at the individual state championships. And being one of the first to finish, the senior’s match on Tuesday helped inspire the rest of his teammates who were trailing midway through the affair.
“Definitely one of the best moments in my tennis career,” Stern said. “It’s great getting to end my high school career on a high note. I just talked to my coach and our doubles were down really bad early and as soon as they heard I came off and I won, the energy picked up a little bit. I started going across each court, picking them up, and we managed to stay confident and get it done.”
At No. 1 doubles, Regis Jesuit’s Clay Dickey and Vlad Sukhovetsky won 6-4, 6-4 over Cherry Creek’s Trevor Robinson. At No. 2 doubles, Regis Jesuit’s KC Eckenhausen and Adam Rydel won 6-4, 6-4 against Cherry Creek’s Wills Possehl and Tyson Hardy. In the No. 3 doubles match, Migliaccio and Shah bested Regis Jesuit’s Carl Siegl and Edward Samuelson, 0-6, 7-6, 6-2. At No. 4 doubles, Cherry Creek’s Mitch Kelly and Truman Wooden beat Aiden Prananta and Spencer Buege, 7-6, 7-5.
To reach the state championship match, Cherry Creek knocked off No. 3 Valor Christian, 5-2, in the semifinals. In the opposite semifinal, Regis Jesuit swept No. 5 Fossil Ridge, 7-0.
This season marks the third year of the Boys Tennis Dual Team State Championships, as the tournament structure changed for the 2022 season. Previously, team points were calculated at the Boys Tennis Individual State Championships to determine the team state champion.
