At almost every other school in Utah, there wouldn't be any question about which position Skyline's Cameron Hansen would play at prep tennis tournaments. He would be the No.1 singles player. But the talented sophomore doesn't play at just any school, and Hansen has found himself playing down the line in the No. 3 singles position for most of the season.
Even so, as Skyline's tennis team went undefeated through the first two rounds of the 5A state tennis tournament while garnering 10 points on Friday, Hansen wasn't ready to complain.
"It's a team game," Hansen said. "We always cheer each other on. It's nice to be on a good team."
The Eagles' No. 3 singles player didn't let his team down on the first day as he cruised through the opening rounds, beating Jordan's Ryan Borgmeier 6-0, 6-1 before dispatching Davis' Michael Everton 6-2, 6-1, to advance into the semifinals.
After Hansen's match, Skyline coach Matt Clark was more than happy to state the obvious: "It's a great luxury to have," Clark said. "We have a No. 3 who could compete as a No. 2 or No. 1."
Hansen's two wins moved him to 10-1 on the season.
Because several of Skyline's players participate in national tournaments throughout the year, Clark wondered before the tournament whether his team would bring enough intensity to win.
"I wondered if they thought this was some podunk tournament, and I wondered if it meant something to them," Clark said. "I'll tell you what, they're playing to win this thing."
Evidence of that intensity came after Skyline's No. 1 singles player, Colby Broadbent, dropped the first set 3-6 of his second-round matchup with Brighton's Nick Dall. Facing elimination, Broadbent beat Dall 6-4 to force a final frame.
In what was probably the best match of the day, Broadbent outdueled Dall in the final set, winning the tie-breaker.
"That was a great match," Clark said. "They both gave it everything they had."
Because of the UHSAA system of bracketing, the Broadbent-Dall match was the second of three opening-day contests between Brighton and Skyline. Afterword, Clark said the losses will probably mean that the Bengals will not finish in second place.
"Brighton should probably be No. 2 (in 5A), " Clark said. "That probably takes them out of it, and it's because of the brackets."
Bingham stands in second place with nine points. Cottonwood is in third with six points. Viewmont and Hunter have five points apiece. Brighton is tied with Alta in sixth place with four points.
Individually, Hunter's Alan Tran rolled into the seminal round, losing just one game in four sets.
The 5A tournament will conclude today at Liberty Park. Semifinal action is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
E-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com