Emmet Hart was never part of a team championship when he was a player on Timpview’s boys tennis team. The year the Thunderbirds had one of their most talented squads – 2020 – the state tournament was deflected by COVID-19.
Earlier this year, the 23-year-old Hart was handed the reigns as head coach of the program, and the T-Birds ended whatever disappointment he may have felt five years ago by rallying on a warm, sunny afternoon at Liberty Park Saturday to capture the school’s 19th boys state tennis title – and 100th overall.
“(Tennis) is the most successful sport at the school,” said Hart, still happy to promote his sport and alma mater. “We knew coming in that we had a chance to win the 100th and we had a lot of fans and administrators here to see it.”
Timpview finished with 54 points to narrowly edge defending champion Highland (52). Skyline had 35, followed by Woods Cross (25), East (24), Wasatch (15) and Maple Mountain (13).
The T-Birds were far behind Highland in the team scores most of the day Saturday but won individual titles in No. 3 singles and then both doubles teams.
The final match was a three-set victory by Davis Gunnell and Nick Gerstner that ended nearly two hours after the 3A tourney (which began simultaneously) had ended.
Timpview’s Braden Meier won the No. 3 singles title – also much earlier – and Joe Jurca/Luke Clark upended a Skyline opponent in the title match to give the T-Birds hope.
“Skyline did us a favor by beating Highland in the semifinals in No. 3 singles,” Hart said. “That gave us a chance but we knew we had to win the rest of our matches to have a chance.”
Gunnell and Gerstner, who also had to endure a three-set match in the semifinals, each sported a well-deserved sunburn on the hottest day of the year so far.
Gerstner said it was difficult to rally back from a 2-6 loss to Highland’s Jonah Watt/Thomas Gardner but then they focused on eliminating service errors, and — combined with their boisterous crowd — they handily won the second set and kept the momentum the rest of the way.
Gerstner said the excitement of the win, and Timpview’s 100th championship overall, would likely allow him to forget about his sunburn until Sunday.
“It was so exciting and we were all so tired,” he said. “We normally don’t cheer (on an opponent’s) a double fault but it was such a relief.”
Highland junior Oliver Mesicek gained some respect. After finishing in second place in No. 1 singles last year, he sailed through each of his matches this year to get the Rams off to a good start. Kian Noori Claro also had a smooth ride for Highland while winning No. 2 singles.