ST. GEORGE – The Region 9 Boys’ Tennis season wrapped up Saturday afternoon, delivering both celebration and disappointment to fans, competitors and coaches.
This year’s Region tournament, in which players vie to qualify for State, was held May 10-12 at the Green Valley Resort and Spa’s tennis facility and featured varsity teams from the high schools in Region 9: Cedar, Canyon View, Snow Canyon, Pine View, Hurricane, Desert Hills and Dixie. Each has a skilled group of athletically gifted young men, all of whom are seeking victory at the championship. But first they must defeat opponents from across Utah.
Dixie sophomore Tevan Balian is the only undefeated competitor in the region. He hasn’t lost a match in his position this season and will be advancing with a record of 18-0. His teammates in 1st and 3rd singles and 1st and 2nd doubles have also had remarkable runs, with respective season records of 18-1, 13-6, 13-6, and 15-4, further cementing the notion that their school is a fearsome opponent in both Region and State.
Desert Hills is considered by many to be the one to beat, as evidenced by their shutout victory at last year’s championship. But the loss of their top two singles players due to graduation may have opened the door for another Region 9 school to take the title.
“(They) have a great team this year, but I feel confident in my team’s ability,” said Snow Canyon coach Jeremy Atkin. “It’s all about how to strategize against your opponent as well as learning to perform well under pressure.”
Dixie coach Eric Christensen said: “Whether I feel confident or not is irrelevant as this point. My players know how to win; they’re 77-16 this year and that should help when the points get tight and the pressure is on during the biggest tennis matches of their lives.”
Though seven schools competed in Region, only the top five competitors in each varsity position will advance to State. Seeds are determined by both the individual’s/partners’ record during season and their performance during the tournament. Below are the final results.
1st Singles
1. Zeno Kastelic – Dixie
2. Duncan Alger – Hurricane
3. Branden Olcott – Canyon View
4. Miguel Viradell – Desert Hills
5. Zach Coonen – Cedar
2nd Singles
1. Tevan Balian – Dixie
2. Jonathan Morgan – Snow Canyon
3. Trevor Gage – Canyon View
4. Brady Parmenter – Desert Hills
5. Enrique Tellez – Pine View
3rd Singles
1. Anthony Valencia – Canyon View
2. Kody Gauer – Snow Canyon
3. Mason Aldred – Dixie
4. Gage Thompson – Desert Hills
5. Benson Rich – Hurricane
1st Doubles
1. Mason Ford/Christian Davis – Desert Hills
2. Luke Heaton/Micah Alba – Dixie
3. Ricky Rahde/Jacob de la Garza – Hurricane
4. Richie Sauceda/Tushar Ahir – Cedar
5. Landon Saipale/Logan Wrigley – Snow Canyon
2nd Doubles
1. Clay Hardy/Preston Parmenter – Desert Hills
2. McKay Brown/Zach Staheli – Dixie
3. Shayden Hinton/Karter Beardall – Hurricane
4. Brennon Bauer/Cole Loveland – Cedar
5. Nate Utley/Kota Ivers – Snow Canyon
The 3A State championship is scheduled for May 18-19, at the Brigham Young University campus in Provo, and the 4A will be held on the same date at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. Both events are overseen by the Utah High School Activities Association, an organization dedicated to the development of athletics and arts programs in the state.
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Copyright 2012 St. George News.