Prep boys’ tennis: Brighton enters 5A tournament as favorite — again

By Bill Oram

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published May 10 2012 05:58 pm • Last Updated Jun 15 2012 04:23 pm

For six years, it’s been no contest.

But starting Friday, Brighton may have some competition in its quest for a seventh straight Class 5A boys’ tennis title.

Three teams, including Brighton, enter the two-day tournament at Liberty Park with undefeated records. Davis was undefeated in Region 1, as was Viewmont in Region 2.

But Brighton remains the top dog, which serves as an intimidation factor.

"Part of it is the fact is they’ve won so many championships," Lone Peak coach Joe LaCognata said, "but I think for a lot of the kids that haven’t been there before, it’s just kind of the aura and mystique of playing Brighton, it’s like going into Yankee Stadium."

The tournament’s best battle may be for the No. 1 singles title, where as many as five players are considered contenders for the championship.

"No. 1 is a pretty loaded spot," Brighton coach Natalie Aposhian said.

Lone Peak’s Scott Bohne, Viewmont’s Sam Tullis, Cottonwood’s Zeke Richards and Davis’s Spencer Hafen enter as No. 1 seeds, and Brighton’s Cody Crandall, despite three losses, is expected to be in the mix.

"There’s a lot of good players going into the tournament," said Bohne, who lost in the semifinals last year. "Obviously, I’m getting a little nervous because it’s state and all."

As for Brighton, Bohne said he won’t worry about the Bengals until he needs to.

"I guess it’s a little intimidating," he said, "but they’re just like any other team. They play tennis, and we’re all going to be doing the same thing we’ve all been doing all year."

boram@sltrib.com

Twitter: @oramb

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