Kings of the Mountain/ Cheyenne Mountain claims 11th straight state

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Oct 13, 2002 by Troy Schwindt

PUEBLO - By noon Saturday, Cheyenne Mountain had won three of four championship doubles matches, its third-place singles match and an 11th straight Class 4A state boys tennis championship.

A couple of hours earlier, though, the Indians' dynasty briefly appeared to be on the verge of crumbling.

Three of Cheyenne Mountain's doubles teams lost their first sets, and Kent Denver, which trailed the Indians by four points entering the round, had won a pair of third-place doubles matches to pull even.

"I don't think I've ever dumped as much acid into my stomach as I did that first hour-and-a-half of this tournament today," Cheyenne Mountain coach Dave Adams said. "It was just so tight. I was like, 'Well, this could be it.'"

But dynasties don't fall easily.

First, No. 3 singles player Cody Gordon delivered a 7-5, 6-2 third- place win over his Colorado Academy opponent. Moments later, the Indians' No. 2 doubles team of Brian Hopwood and Nic Laheney bested Mullen, 6-3 and 7-5.

Kent Denver had life after the Indians' No. 3s, Robbie Jaecks and Danny Colten, lost to Mullen, 7-6 and 6-3.

But a pair of losses by Kent Denver at Nos. 2 and 3 singles sealed Cheyenne's 11th state title, with the Indians' No.1 and No. 4 doubles teams on the court in three-set matches.

Cheyenne Mountain's No. 1s, Julian Mellini and Brian Fry, rallied from a 3-2 deficit in the third set to edge Fountain Valley's Neil Patel and Gabriel Underraga, 5-7, 6-3 and 6-3. (Fountain Valley placed seventh as a team.) The Indians' No. 4s, Darren Tarshes and Alex Brooke, stormed back to top Kent Denver, 4-6, 7-6 and 6-2.

"We showed a lot of character out there today," said Adams, who began coaching at Cheyenne Mountain in 1987 and has been there for the 11 titles out of the school's 51 titles in all sports. "We had situations where we were ahead and people made a run at us and we held them off. And there were times when we were behind and came back.

"The competition at this tournament has been as high and as even as I've seen it in a number of years."

Adams ranks this year's title near the top of the 11 because of the adversity his club faced. A major graduation hit, the unexpected loss of a couple standout players, and the unknown chemistry of the doubles roster put the title streak in doubt.

"I thought these kids did a great job of rising up and responding to the challenge," Adams said.

Two seniors, Mellini and Hopwood, celebrated their final matches with state titles. Both credited their partners with major roles.

"I couldn't have done it without Brian (Fry)," said Mellini, who last year won the title at No. 3 doubles. "He's such a competitor, such a great player and a talented guy. We hit it off from the beginning and had a certain chemistry from the start."

"My partner stepped up for this tournament," Hopwood said of Laheney. "He had some trouble all season long, but he played perfect tennis. He carried me right along and we just kept rolling."

Hopwood lost in the final last year at No. 2 doubles.

Cheyenne Mountain's No. 4 doubles team may have been the biggest surprise, Adams said.

"They started off 0-2 and got spanked early in the season," Adams said. "Everybody was kind of wondering, but I thought they would come around. And they have developed as a team, and I'm proud of how far those two guys have come over the year."

Last year, Brooke was an eighth-grader, while Tarshes played B- team.

- Troy Schwindt may be reached at 636-0250 or gtsports@gazette.com