Brighton proves nearly perfect in laying claim to state crown

After finishing second in state in 2005, Brighton's tennis team felt like it had a score to settle. Saturday, the Bengals did just that, repaying defending champ Skyline and the rest of the state with a whole year's worth of interest.

Led by 15-year-old Spencer Smith, Brighton swept the 5A state tournament, finishing first in all five positions. The Bengals' perfect team score of 30 put them in a class of their own, a full 20 points ahead of second-place Skyline.

"At the beginning of the season, I knew we had the talent to win state if we played our best," said coach Natalie Aposhian. "I hope that this is just the beginning of a Brighton dynasty."

Smith looked virtually unstoppable throughout the tourney. From his very first match to his 6-3, 6-4 win over Viewmont's David Hintze in the first-singles final, the freshman dominated every aspect of the game, making it through all four rounds without losing a single set.

"I just try to go out and have fun with it," Smith said. "I knew it wasn't going to be easy because all of these guys are really good players."

Hintze earned the right to play for the championship by posting a win over Skyline's Colby Broadbent in a match that featured three sets and a dramatic tiebreaker. The three-hour marathon match was Hintze's second of the tournament; he won in similar fashion on Friday.

The second singles match went much the same way as Smith's, as the Bengals' Corbin Benson defeated Skyline's Cameron Hansen in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3. The sophomore had little trouble putting away Hansen, a senior and reigning state champion.

Brighton and Skyline once again met in the third singles' final, as the Bengals' Ben Stevenson defeated Justin Delong of the Eagles, ousting him by a score of 6-4, 6-3. The two have crossed paths several times, most recently in the Region 2 final.

The two doubles finals were much more exciting; they both came down to the wire and were decided in three sets. The first doubles match saw Matt Larsen and Eric Irving of Brighton lose the first set 6-3, only to come back and win the next two, 6-3 and 6-4.

"We knew they were going to give us a tough match," Larsen said of his opponents, Riverton's Bo Nemelka and Blake Nemelka. "They played first and second singles last year . . . They're really good."

In another Region 2 rematch, the Bengals' second doubles team of Josh Davila and Sky Grahm defeated Hillcrest's duo of Brett Hashimoto and Jeff Oviatt in three sets.

With this year's tournament in the books, Aposhian and company are already looking forward to 2007. The Bengals return all but one of their players and will likely be just as dominant.

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E-mail: tquinn@desnews.com