Waterford cruises to state championship

Under sunny skies and with a slight breeze, the Waterford Ravens took the 1A/2A Boys State Tennis Championship by storm Saturday.

Waterford made the finals in all five events and won in four out of the five, with their only loss coming in the third-singles final. It ran away with the team championship, earning 23 points out of a possible 25.

"I didn't expect us to do this well," said Waterford coach Ken Wade. "We lost four seniors last year."

The best player in the tournament did exactly as expected, winning every match with ease. Waterford's Calvin Bennett won his third straight first-singles championship, winning 6-0, 6-0 in each of the three rounds. Bennett is a junior and did not lose a match all season in 2A competition. He doesn't even recall losing a single game.

"He (Bennett) is unreal," said Manti coach Andy Naylor. "You can hope for an upset, but it seems like with him an upset is a broken leg. He's just too good."

In second singles, sophomore Daniel Reichert of Waterford won the final handily, beating Thomas Phelan of Wasatch Academy 6-0, 6-2. Reichert and Phelan have met twice before this season and split the matches. Reichert's toughest match was in the semifinals, where he beat Stevenson Smith of Rowland Hall, 7-5, 6-2.

"Stevenson is mentally tough," Reichert said. "He's in every point, and you can't let it discourage you."

The only first-place finisher not from Waterford was Daniel Livsey of Rowland Hall. Livsey easily advanced to the final and manhandled Waterford's Chris Chang in the first set, winning 6-0. Wang put up a good fight in the second set but eventually fell, 7-5. Livsey helped lead Rowland Hall to an overall second-place finish with 10 points.

In doubles, Waterford's teams each won in three sets. Amir Ghaffarlan and Sam Wilkerson won in first doubles, while Robert McRae and Andrew Munoz Butterfield won in second doubles.

Two of the closest contests were doubles matches between Waterford and Manti. Each went to three sets, one in the semifinals and one in the finals. The crowds were the largest at both matches, as they were the last decided in each of their rounds. Even opponents from other high schools gathered and cheered for their favorite of the two teams.

Manti lost both matches but finished third in team scoring with seven points. They were followed by Wasatch Academy and Gunnison, which tied for fourth with three points apiece.

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E-mail: kradmall@desnews.com