Cherry Creek coach John Gibas long ago mastered the art of spreading cheer.
As all seven of the Bruins’ teams battled during the semifinal round of the Class 5A girls state tennis tournament Friday, Gibas flitted from court to court, clapping and encouraging all 11 of his players.
He mastered the art of equal celebration during a stretch in which the Bruins have won 15 team titles in 17 years.
Including this one, making it nine straight.
With the finals and third-place matches Saturday, there is no catching Cherry Creek in the team race as it advanced six of seven positions to the finals. There is a seven-team race for second, led by Air Academy.
The only Cherry Creek loss came at No. 1 singles, where Lewis-Palmer’s Christin Thompson topped Greer Satherlie 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, using equal parts skill and spirit.
“I feel like I’m out there winning because I love it and because I really want it. I just really love tennis,” said Thompson, who is 19-3 this season. “I love to be out there one-on-one against somebody. It shows your inner strength.”
Thompson will face Air Academy’s Tabatha Knop in the final. Knop is the reigning No. 2 singles champion, a title her sister, Tiffany Knop, will vie for. Tiffany Knop won the No. 3 singles title last year, but a second championship won’t be easy.
Waiting will be Cherry Creek’s Rachel Loeb, who has not dropped a game in three rounds at state.
No. 3 singles will feature an all-freshman final, pitting Cherry Creek’s Elizabeth Marsico against Fairview’s Carolyn Warren.
“I have seen her before,” Warren said of Marsico. “I’ve only lost one match, and that was to Elizabeth Marsico.”
Marsico showed off her impressive game in a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Hillary Allen of Fort Collins. A few early mis-hits frustrated the freshman, but she soon found her stroke, which was low and hard from the forehand and backhand. She showed off a wicked first serve and, at the other end of the spectrum, a soft drop shot on a service return.
“I think I was a little nervous and a little too excited that I was in the semifinals as a freshman. I just wanted to get here and see how far I could go,” Marsico said.
Cherry Creek (is that sounding familiar yet?) put all four of its doubles teams in the finals, which the Bruins swept last year.
Grand Junction’s Jillian Thompson and Emily Orbanek will play Christina Macey and Stacey Berlinger at No. 1; Fort Collins’ Amy Kast and Hilary Kramer will face Morganne Downing and Brook Shafner at No. 2; Chatfield’s Ali Grush and Dani Lutes will play Chelsea Downing and Julie Swinehart at No. 3; and Littleton’s Jenna Keirns and Hilary Emmett will face Delaney Downing and Caitlain Schnell.
