The strange noise you heard was the door of opportunity opening for all who want to walk through to become the new Class 5A top tennis player.
That glow you might see under the door is the smile of Lewis-Palmer coach Paul Kardel, whose Rangers are talented and primed to add their name to the list of competitors that annually attempt to stay with the stalwarts at Cherry Creek.
“Two years ago Rocky (Mountain) was billed as that team that was supposed to be the next big challengers to Creek, and I think when push came to shove that created an unnecessary falter in Rocky,” said Kardel, who along with the rest of 5A will again play state in Boulder in October, while construction at the Gates Tennis Center is completed. “I kind of live in the moment, and what is happening is happening. I don’t like to project and send up all sorts of bulletin-board stuff.
“If we are that good, then we are that good, and if we are not, we’re not.”
So how is a team that didn’t score a point at last year’s state tournament suddenly thrust into the mix? Senior Miles Wagner, who qualified for state last season at No. 1 singles, returns and is joined by 14-year old Australian Aiden Reid and Minnesota transfer D.J. Dace to give the Rangers as good a singles corps as you’ll find in the state. Incoming freshmen Duy Pham and Miles Griffare further additions to Lewis-Palmer’s newfound wealth.
The top spot between Reid and Wagner will be settled through tryouts in the coming days, but it’s a dilemma for Kardel.
Reid, who arrived with his mother in Monument as part of a teaching exchange in December, took up tennis just four years ago and has literally and figuratively watched his game grow since. At 6-feet-2, the native of Albury in New South Wales, mixes a big first serve with consistent, yet aggressive groundstrokes that lead to a solid net game.
“I just want to enjoy the season since we don’t have anything like this in Australia,” said Reid, who played in this week’s Boulder Invitational. “The goal is just to work through each match and seek ways to improve.”
Said Kardel, “He’s going to do whatever it takes to win each and every point.”
Reigning Class 5A champion Jordan Bridge of Grand Junction will not defend his title, instead he will compete on the national junior circuit.
Calix van Lier, who finished second in 2005 and fourth last year, is no longer at Boulder, and if he plays at crosstown rival Fairview he will have to sit out half the season because of the transfer rule.
Rocky Mountain’s Casey MacMaster (champion at No. 2 singles), whose brother T.J. was a champion at No. 3 singles before graduating, and top singles player Will Vasos return to give the Lobos, a fourth-place finisher as a team last year, a chance to move up.
In Class 4A, Cheyenne Mountain won the title by one point over Kent Denver last year, and Thompson Valley exchange student Martin Cobo took top singles honors. Don’t expect either this year.
“But then again you never know who has what and who went where,” Cheyenne Mountain coach Dave Adams said.
Adams’ Indians are strong again and like most good programs are able to reload instead of rebuild. Said Adams, “It’s just a matter of how quickly it all comes together.”
Brad Young (champion at No. 2 singles) and Justin Hermes give Cheyenne Mountain a 1-2 punch at the top.
Also keep an eye on Steamboat Springs’ Ramsey Bernard, who lost to Young in the final last season, to be among the challengers to the title.
Staff writer Jon E. Yunt can be reached at 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com.
