You couldn’t blame Owen Hammond and Grant Christensen for being tired Saturday afternoon.
However, the two Waterford sophomores were still happy to hoist the 3A boys state championship trophy at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City after playing in a pair of three-set matches that keyed the Ravens’ team victory over rival Rowland Hall.
“That first one did (won) it for us,” said Waterford coach Ken Wade. “It was the difference and a great run.”
“It was back-and-forth all the way and we (the fans) were sweating as much as the players.” — Waterford coach Ken Wade
The Ravens captured the crown for the third time in the last four years — with 2020 being cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Wade said he knew the championship had to be won by going through Rowland Hall, another Salt Lake-area private school that has an impressive tennis program and has pushed the Ravens each time.
Waterford finished with 26 points, followed by Rowland Hall with 22, then Juab (9), Grantsville (7), Morgan (5) and Carbon (4). The Ravens and Winged Lions had a substantial lead after the first day Friday, then battled each other for points on a cool, sunny Saturday.
Everything went as planned early in the day as Waterford advanced all three of its players — Lalith Suresh, Jeffrey Kulsomphob and Dawson Jenkins — past the semifinals, and Rowland Hall moved two forward. Doubles play started with Rowland Hall’s tandem of Noah Edgar and Auden Bown upsetting Waterford seniors Tarun Martheswaran and Omed Moshirfar, and then the Owen-Christensen team had trouble with Grantsville’s Quinten White and Brennan Harvey.
The Cowboys’ duo won the first game 7-5, but Owen and Christensen rallied take next set 6-3, and the finale finally went to the Owen-Christensen team 7-5 — almost 2 ½ hours after the match had started.
“It was back-and-forth all the way and we (the fans) were sweating as much as the players,” Wade said.
When Suresh, Kulsomphob and Jenkins each won their singles championships in singles, the outcome was decided. Rowland Hall’s Luca Bressloff and Zach Klein gave their team a thrill, though, when they held off Hammond-Christensen 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 in an exciting match while many of the tournament’s remaining fans watched.
Wade said the loss made the team title “bittersweet” because Matheswaran and Moshirfar were finishing an impressive tennis career at Waterford, and he hoped they could end on top. However, they had to settle for another championship team over their rivals and many rural programs who made the trip to Utah’s capital city.
3A boys state tennis tournament
At Liberty Park, Salt Lake
Saturday’s results
Team scores: 1, Waterford 26. 2, Rowland Hall 22. 3, Juab 9. 4, Grantsville 7. 5, Morgan 5. 6, Carbon 4. 7, Delta, Manti 3. 9, American Heritage, North Sanpete, Richfield, South Sevier. 13, Judge Memorial, San Juan, Telos 1.
Individual results
No. 1 singles
Semifinals: Jaidon Handlon (Rowland Hall) def. Camdin Nelson (Grantsville) 6-1, 6-0. Lalith Suresh (Waterford) def. Parker Peterson (American Heritage) 6-1, 6-0.
Championship: Suresh def. Handlon 6-1, 6-3.
No. 2 singles
Semifinals: Jeffrey Kulsomphob (Waterford) def. Quinn Belknap (Juab) 6-3, 6-0. Daniel McNally (Rowland Hall) def. Carter Killian (Grantsville) 6-2, 6-2.
Championship: Kulsomphob def. McNally 6-0, 6-1.
No. 3 singles
Semifinals: Dawson Jenkins (Waterford) def. Derrick Jorgensen (Carbon) 6-1, 6-1. Levi Covington (Juab) def. Cole McCartney (Rowland Hall) 6-3, 6-3.
Championship: Jenkins def. Covington 6-0, 6-0.
No. 1 doubles
Semifinals: Noah Edgar-Auden Bown (Rowland Hall) def. Nathan Millburn-Evan Harris (Morgan) 6-1, 6-2. Tarun Martheswaran-Omed Moshirfar (Waterford) def. Jake Cox-Josh Cox (North Sanpete) 6-1, 6-0.
Championship: Edgar-Bown def. Martheswaran-Moshirfar 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
No. 2 doubles
Semifinals: Luca Bressloff-Zach Klein (Rowland Hall) def. Kevin Cox-Dyson Winsor (Manti) 6-0, 6-2. Owen Hammond-Grant Christensen (Waterford) def. Quinten White-Brennan Harvey (Grantsville) 5-7, 6-3, 7-5.
Championship: Bressloff-Klein def. Hammond-Christensen 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.