SALT LAKE CITY -- Their coach may have called it a “rebuilding year,” but the results told a different story as the Lone Peak Knights rolled to another boys tennis title, winning their fourth straight championship and second in 6A.
The Knights, who had gone into Saturday’s play in a tie with Pleasant Grove, bulldozed through the brackets, winning four of the five individual titles to finish with 26 points, while American Fork was second with 14 points followed by Pleasant Grove with 12 and Bingham with 9. All four schools compete in Region 4.
“We lost four really good players last year and they performed really well,” said first-year Lone Peak head coach Roger Baumgartner, who has been with the program for several years. “We had to fill in with some young guys and they performed really well. There’s some really good competition out there, so we feel lucky we came through like we did.”
Brothers T.J. and Logan Wells led the way for the Knights, each winning titles at No. 1 and No. 2 singles. T.J., just a sophomore, had won No. 3 singles last year and he breezed through the competition this year, not dropping a set and losing just five games in four state matches. In the finals, he defeated Danny Zlotnick of Davis 6-1, 6-1.
Logan Wells, a senior who had to sit out last year with an ACL injury, also didn’t lose a set and he beat Adam Ellis of Pleasant Grove in the finals 6-2, 6-1.
Other winners for Lone Peak included junior Nano Carter, who defeated American Fork’s Cole Fairbanks at No. 3 singles, and Nate Ashton and Brayden Blodgett at No. 2 doubles. They beat Bingham’s Benjamin Crane and Austin Burton 6-4, 6-4 in the finals.
In No. 1 doubles, American Fork’s Ben Roper and Cade Condie were the winners, defeating Bingham’s Josh Peterson and Cody White 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 in the finals after knocking off Lone Peak’s Alex Miller and Josh Weichers in the semifinals. The No. 1 doubles final was the match of the tournament as the two teams battled until Roper and Condie won the third-set tiebreak 8-6.
Rounding out the top 10 in the team standings were Davis with 6 points, followed by Herriman and Riverton with 5, Fremont with 4, Taylorsville with 3 and Hillcrest and Layton with 2 apiece.
6A Tennis results
Saturday
Team scores: 1. Lone Peak 26; 2. American Fork 14; 3. Pleasant Grove 12; 4. Bingham 9; 5. Davis 6; 6. (tie) Herriman, Riverton 5; 8. Fremont 4; 9. Taylorsville 3: 10. (tie) Hillcrest, Layton 2.
No. 1 singles
Semifinals
Danny Zlotnick, Davis def. Ethan Wood, Pleasant Grove 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
T.J. Wells, Lone Peak def. Gio Claus, Herriman 6-3, 6-0
Finals
Wells def. Zlotnick 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 singles
Logan Wells, Lone Peak def. Kael Nicholson, Herriman 6-0, 6-0
Adam Ellis, Pleasant Grove def. Carson McBeth, American Fork 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
Finals
Wells def. Ellis 6-2, 6-1
No. 3 singles
Semifinals
Cole Fairbanks, American Fork def. Danny Lee, Pleasant Grove 6-2, 2-6, 6-1
Nano Carter, Lone Peak def. Issac Clarke, Fremont 7-5, 6-1
Finals
Carter def. Fairbanks 6-4, 6-4
No. 1 doubles
Semifinals
Ben Roper & Cade Condie, American Fork def. Alex Miller & Josh Weichers, Lone Peak 6-4, 6-4
Josh Peterson & Cody White, Bingham def. Derek Church & Brigham Porter, Pleasant Grove 6-0, 6-1
Finals
Roper-Condie def. Peterson-White 3-6, 6-3, 7-6
No. 2 doubles
Semifinals
Nate Ashton & Brayden Blodgett def. Jacob Wimmer & Johnny Dibb, Pleasant Grove 6-1, 6-0
Benjamin Crane & Austin Burton, Bingham def. Josh Taggart & Bryce Bringhurst, American Fork 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
Finals
Ashton-Blodgett def. Crane-Burton 6-4, 6-4