WESTMINSTER – Everything was new for Andrew Flora after he transferred to Mountain Range for his sophomore season.
New desks, new books, new tennis courts. The second-year school seemed to sparkle.
Today, Flora hopes to add another new element to the Mustangs’ young foundation – a No. 1 singles state tennis championship.
“It’s nice having all new stuff,” said Flora, who transferred from Northglenn to the new school near Interstate 25 and 124th Avenue.
The 6-foot-3, 145-pound Flora assumed the No. 1 singles position for Karl Buck’s squad, which consists mostly of sophomores and freshmen, and he hasn’t missed a beat.
With a 12-0 record and a fresh regional championship to his credit, Flora is being mentioned as one of the three favorites to win the top singles title when the Class 4A state championships are completed Saturday morning in Pueblo.
But Flora and Buck, as well as the other two state qualifiers from Mountain Range – junior Alex Scott (No. 2 singles) and sophomore Jacob Mozeika (No. 3) – aren’t making any bold predictions.
“Crazy things happen at state. Emotions get involved,” Buck said. “But I did tell the guys that since we’re driving all the way down to Pueblo we want to come home with a state championship.”
For Flora to bring home some hardware, he’ll have to get past Andrew Hefter of Niwot in the first round.
The competition would only get tougher, with a potential showdown with Justin Hermes of Cheyenne Mountain in the semifinals. Hermes was a state champion at No. 2 doubles in 2005.
The winner in the top half of the bracket has a good chance of seeing Ramsey Bernard of Steamboat Springs in the final. Bernard won the No. 3 singles title in 2004, finished third at No. 2s in 2005 and second at the same position last season.
Flora has not played either Bernard or Hermes.
“I’m feeling a little more confident going into state this year,” said Flora, who lost in the second round as a freshman. “Hopefully, I get a chance at a state title, but it’s going to be very difficult.”
If he’s to do it, Flora will have to utilize his size and all aspects of his balanced game. Flora’s serve, thanks in part to his tall frame, is where it all begins.
“He’s got a huge serve. He is really hard to break,” said Scott, Flora’s hitting partner during practice.
From there, Flora prefers to use his forehand from the baseline, volleying until a winner comes along. He also will come to the net, where his size comes into play again. It’s hard to get a shot by him with such a wide wingspan.
“He has so many weapons,” said Buck, a Skyview graduate. “He has a complete game.”
In the 4A team competition, Cheyenne Mountain edged Kent Denver by a single point in 2006. Those teams will be back in the chase, along with Steamboat Springs, Mullen, Broomfield and Niwot.
In 5A, the top singles position is a battle between at least five contenders. Rocky Mountain senior Will Vasos heads that list after winning a three-set thriller over Cherry Creek’s Andy Benson in September.
Benson, Durango’s Geoff Lewis, Fairview’s Calix van Lier and Aidan Reid, an Australian exchange student at Lewis-Palmer, all should be in contention.
“Vasos is the favorite, but each of those five guys has a chance to win it,” Boulder coach Gale Howard said.
Cherry Creek is favored to win the team title.
Tournament schedule
Class 5A
At University of Colorado tennis facility and Fairview High School
Today: First and second rounds for all positions, beginning at 9 a.m.
Friday: Semifinal round; two rounds of playbacks
Saturday: Third-place matches, 9 a.m.; championship matches, 11 a.m.
Class 4A
At Pueblo City Park
Today: First and second rounds for all positions, beginning at 9 a.m.
Friday: Semifinal round; two rounds of playbacks
Saturday: Championship matches and third- and fourth-place matches, 9 a.m.
