photo by Rebecca Holt

The Boys’ Tennis team had very high hopes and expectations for this year, and they showed that the young team could compete with the other powerhouse schools in DPS. A group of young players gives high hopes for the future, and a great group of departing seniors is a huge loss.

A season filled with ups and downs can only be characterized by the amount of leadership skills and pride that can be taken away at the end. The squad ended the season strong playing Bear Creek, and defeating them with ease. This filled the team with confidence and momentum heading into the post season. The varsity seniors, Scott Bruskin, Mitch Montgomery and Tom Gengler geared up for what could be their final tennis match of their high school careers. “The whole team knows what we have to do, whether you’re a sophomore, junior or senior we all have to step up and give it our best,” said Senior Tom Gengler. Every member of the team qualified, and Head Coach Joel Belmer had high hopes for a state title. “I can’t wait; this is when the team comes together and gets victories. I have faith in every single one of them.”

However, the team fell short, with not one player advancing past regionals into the next round. The pain of defeat could easily be seen on the face of each player, especially the seniors. “Though it’s over for us, this team has a bright future,” said Senior Mitch Montgomery.

The teams that participated in TJ’s regionals bracket were Colorado Academy, Arvada, Kennedy, Evergreen and Alexander Dawson. Cheyenne Mountain later went on to become 4A State Champions.

Scott Bruskin flashes his smashing forehand volley. photo by Rebecca Holt

The Spartan tennis team was back in action this week, as they faced off with DPS rival Lincoln High School, and came out on top easily 7-0. The singles and doubles teams handled their opponents with ease.  “This victory helps a lot,” exclaims Senior Mitch Montgomery. “ It takes us one step closer towards that city title.”

The victory is not only a huge sign of improvement, but also a tremendous confidence booster. “This match really helped our team moral,” says #1 singles Scott Bruskin, who had one of the best matches of the day. “We took a tremendous leap forward, and we should do great in our next match against Valor.”  There is outstanding leadership on this team, and the season ahead looks very bright.

The young Lancers team struggled mightily against the savvy Spartans, which is the opposite of what happened  last year. Head Coach Joel Belmer and the boys were handed one of their toughest losses last season by the Lancers. The score of last year’s match was 4-3, with the Lancers coming out with the victory. “It was heartbreaking,” Belmer said with disappointment. “I could not be happier about our win today.”

All three singles players had fantastic matches and prevailed on top, #1 singles Scott Bruskin won 6-3, 6-4, #2 singles Mitch Montgomery was victorious despite having to win a tiebreaker 7-6(8-6), 6-0.  Junior Andrew Becker had a great performance as well, winning 6-1, 6-4.  The #1 doubles team Tom Gengler and Dominic Murray had a challenge but were triumphant 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

The team looks to build on their big win as they host the Eagles of Valor Christian on Friday, September 4th. The match will begin promptly at 4:00, so come out and support boys’ tennis.

Boys' Tennis begins season in Conifer. photo by Rebecca Holt

School is back in session: TJ athletes are out on the field, in the gym or, as in Coach Joel Belmer and company’s case, on the court.

With seven returning varsity members, Mitch Montgomery, Tom Gengler, Andrew Becker, Ganbayar Bayarsalkhan, Dominic Murray, Christopher Moore and Scott Bruskin, the team has high expectations.

Head coach Joel Belmer, a former member of the St. Ambrose University tennis team in Davenport, GA., has high hopes for his boys. “I have extremely high expectations for this year’s tennis team. I can tell that a lot of the guys played over the summer and are taking it a lot more seriously.”

The young coach has his players geared up for a run at city, despite strong competition from talented schools such as George Washington and East. “We are working harder to be one of the top tennis schools in DPS,” said Belmer. Not only is the team looking better skill-wise, the squad finally has matching uniforms this season in contrast of the dismal looking polos and shorts of the previous year. “Our team has a much more competitive attitude this year; it will be very exciting to watch them play,” exclaimed Belmer.

To start off the season, the boys traveled up to Conifer to square off against the Lobos. They gave it their all but could not come out with the victory, losing 6 to 1. The team received strong efforts from #1 singles Scott Bruskin and #2 singles Dominic Murray, but it just was not enough to shut down the Lobos’ potent team. The single victory of the match came from the #1 doubles team of Mitch Montgomery and Tom Gengler. The tandem handled their opponent 6-1, 6-4. “Hopefully we can build off of this defeat,” said senior Scott Bruskin. “From now on it is only practice, practice, practice.”

Make sure to make the short trip to Lincoln High School on September 1st to catch the varsity squad in action. The match will begin at 4:00.

    With the completion of their season, the boys’ tennis team looks back on a successful year of working their way up the ranks.

    In contrast with teams of the past, 2008 proved to be a year of reconstruction and revamping as a crop of new players, as well as a new coach, joined the long line of Spartan tennis teams.  With a fresh, youthful feeling, the team geared up under the leadership of their new coach, Joel Belmer.

    Belmer, a kindergarten teacher at Highlands Ranch Learning Center and former college player at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, GA., was eager to jump on such an opportunity.

    As the team prepared hard for its upcoming season, nothing could brace them for the Conifer Lobos, losing 7-0 at TJ.  Trouble continued for the Spartans as they took on Abraham Lincoln but fell short with a score of 4-3.  At that point in the season, things looked grim for the rookie Spartan team, yet it didn’t take long for the senior leadership to shine through as the boys found themselves on top after defeating Montbello 7-0.  

    A clean sweep of the Warriors was the head full of steam the team was looking for as they charged into their next match.  But no one, not even Belmer, could foresee what lied ahead for his Spartan team.  The boys’ next three matches would put them up against the three best teams in DPS (coincidentally, the same three teams to defeat the Spartans eight out of the past ten years).

    The boys knew wins against any of these teams would almost guarantee them a top seed in regional play.  A tough match against GW proved to be more than trying for the boys, but their resiliency shined through as they captured a monumental win with a score of 4-3.  “A win over George [Washington] was huge; beating them was exactly what we needed to show the DPL our team is the real deal,” said senior #1 Doubles player P.J. Sleichter.

    The boys were finding their rhythm as they steamrolled Denver South, 5-2.  The wins followed as the boys snagged 2nd place in South Rebel Invitational.  Teams competing included Denver South, Bishop Machebeuf, and Littleton. At this point it appeared nothing could slow the boys’ roll, but a meeting with Denver East in dual play proved to be quite daunting, as the boys fell for the first time in over a month, losing 7-0.  But the squad didn’t let their troubles with the Angels stand in their way as they rekindled their winning ways against North and Kennedy to finish out the season.

 
    With the arrival of October came the long awaited Regionals, and the boys were rearing to go.  Things looked promising as TJ placed players in seeds higher than ever before. Notables were #1 doubles duo P.J. Sleichter and Tom Gengler, snagging the 4th seed along with #3 singles Robert Lampert, also entering in the 4th seed.    The boys competed against some of the most potent talent in their region, as they battled it out against Alexander Dawson, Evergreen, Denver North, Arvada, John F. Kennedy and top ranked Colorado Academy.  

    While the team competed hard, Colorado Academy came to play, sweeping all but one spot, sending ten of their players to state competition.  The Spartans took 4th in all spots but two, with # 3 doubles pair Dominic Murray and Ganbayar Bayarsaikhan taking 3rd after beating Alexander Dawson and losing to Evergreen.  This was certainly a notable win, seeing as this was the only freshman duo on the team.  

    Next year looks bright as Belmer will be back to coach eight returning players, Mitch Montgomery, Tom Gengler, Andrew Becker, Ganbayar Bayarsaikhan, Dominic Murray, Michael Heins, Christopher Moore and Scott Bruskin.
 

TJ does well at invitational only to fall in dual play.
by Robert Lampert
photo by Kevin Fleming

     The boys’ tennis team found itself with its back against the wall after dropping its first two matches, yet the revamped Spartan team topped Montbello with a clean sweep in every singles and doubles position.

     The boys, under the leadership of coach Joel Belmer, took charge of the match after sweeping all singles matches. These wins gave the peace of mind to doubles players, knowing only one of four duos were required a single victory to take the match. Even so, the boys stepped up with a dominating performance as the Spartans sealed the victory 7-0.

     The boys then hoped to carry that success into their match against top ranked Denver East this past Tuesday. While the boys fought hard, the Angels of East brought their “A” game to the courts, sweeping the Spartans 7-0. The match was close going into the latter part of the doubles, unfortunately the boys came out on the short end of the stick. “We can’t let a loss at this point in the season stick with us too long if we plan on taking a top seed in regionals. The defeat is already behind us as we look forward to Denver South,” said #2 singles player, Mitch Montgomery.

     The boys did just that as the Spartans then battled it out against Denver South at TJ September 17, as they pulled out a win with a score of 4-3. The match came down to one game as the score was tied 3-3 going into the final doubles match. But the Spartans showed their resilience once again as they pulled out the win.

     The Spartans were also one of four teams to compete in the Rebel Invitational on September 13 at South High School. Other teams to compete were Littleton, Bishop Machebeuf, and Denver South. The boys pulled off a sweep of Machebeuf, a win over South, and fell to Littleton, snagging them 2^nd place at the Invitational. Tournaments such as the Rebel Invitational are invite only, meaning only top teams are requested to play. They also give the teams a chance to snag some much-needed practice outside of conference matches. “Invitationals such as these are great practice for the team and allow us to build some steam going into dual play,” said senior #1 doubles player, P.J. Sleichter.

     The Spartans’ strong performance even earned them an invite to the Lincoln Invitational this past weekend, Saturday September 20 at Abraham Lincoln High School. This is an invitational known to bring out some of the region’s most promising talent. Teams competing in the invitational were Denver South, Conifer, Denver East, Alameda, Kennedy, Lincoln and George Washington. The positions were split up over four locations all over the Denver metro area. At the end of the day, GW took the most 1^st place titles, giving them the top spot. TJ performed well with 5^th, 6^th and 7^th place wins in all positions. The Lincoln invitational was certainly a great opportunity for the team to practice while playing under pressure that only regional competition brings.

     You can look for the boys in dual play once again September 23, 2008 at 4:00 p.m., as the Spartans take on Denver North High School at North.

     The team has high expectations going into the mid-stretch of the season, and they’ll have to hold on tight given they have yet to meet some of the top ranked teams in DPL. But don’t be fooled, the team moral could not be higher at this point in the season. “This team rules, plain and simple,” said coach Belmer. As you can see the boys are fearless as they enter a clutch stretch where every match counts before regional play this October.

    The 2008 boys tennis team still has high hopes for its season, even after suffering two straight losses to Conifer and Lincoln. 

    The season opener here at TJ was against the Lobos of Conifer.  Losing 7-0, the boys, led by new coach Joel Belmer, hit the courts hard in the following week, tightening every aspect of their game.  Working hard, the boys then met with a revamped Lincoln Lancer team.  Going into the final game, the match was tied after wins by Mitchell Montgomery and Robert Lampert.  Unfortunately the boys fell short at a score of 3-4.  

    The team has a solid core of veteran leadership with seniors P.J. Sleichter, Sam Stavish and Robert Lampert.  “The season is still young.  Look for us to make a serious run at a top seed before regionals,” said Stavish.  That is very possible at this point in the year with George Washington, Denver East and Denver South-the top three ranked teams in DPS-still on the schedule.  A win over any one of those teams would ensure the Spartans a top seed in regional play.  

    As the boys progress towards matches against their rival schools and top ranked opponents, their spirit and work ethic only grows.  “You never know what you need to work on more than after a loss,” said Stavish.  The last time TJ had a boys state tennis title was 1988, meaning it’s time to end the twenty-year drought.  With that being said, you can be sure the team will be working overtime to bring a state title to Thomas Jefferson.
 

By Keenan Moore

     The boys’ tennis team took on a tough Confer Wolves team Wednesday, and they were unsuccessful, losing 0-7. The boys came out in full force, but they weren’t able to pull out a win. Conifer has always had a good team and they have always seemed to find a chink in the Spartan armor. This has brought down the Spartan hopes of getting a high ranking in the regional competition. They will have to win the majority of their upcoming matches to avoid facing either George Washington or East in the first round of regionals.

     While the score may not reflect it, there were a few good things to take away from the performance. The number one single Justin Blackburn and number two single Robert Lampert both had strong performances against their opponents. In both of player’s sets, they were tied going into the last and final game, but were unable to pull of the total win. However, the sky is the limit for this team and there are still plenty of places they can improve, which would allow them to further their chances of getting a good seedfor regionals. “You can’t let one game or match get you down," said junior Andrew Briss.  "You have to know that what has happened is in the past, and all you can do is use it for motivation in your next match.”

By Keenan Moore

     The boys’ tennis team took on Montbello and was able to come out with a very impressive 6-1 win. This proved to be the spark that the team needed after tough losses to Lincoln and East. The win against the Warriors raises their season record to 4-3. The team has performed for the whole season and they are proud of how they have played for the majority of it.

    The chances of the team getting a good position in the regional competition is looking really good, for they have had some impressive wins against tough DPS teams. However, they have stumbled a little bit against the tougher teams in the division such as the George Washington Patriots and the East Angels. To get as far as the team hopes, they will eventually need to take on these teams again in the regionals and maybe even the state competition. “We aren’t worried about the regionals or even the state competitions, we are just focusing on finishing the rest of the season with as many wins as possible,” said number one single Justin Blackburn.

By Keenan Moore

     The boys’ tennis team took on a powerful Kennedy squad last Tuesday and were able to pull out a win, continuing their impressive winning streak to three games now. The current streak that they are on is proving to build the momentum among the whole team. “We are starting to come together as a team and it’s starting to show out there on the courts,” said number two single Robert Lampert. Looking at the team at the beginning of the year and now, you can see a huge difference in their overall confidence. Over their three game win streak, the Spartans have outscored their opponents by almost  two to one. This has to be a confidence booster for the team. The Spartans look to keep the wins coming as they finish out the rest of the regular season.

By Keenan Moore

    The Spartans, fresh off their victory against North, rallied to beat a talented Denver Science and Technology 4-3. The team was worried about this game, for the Denver School of Science and Technology had received a lot of praise over the years. All the praise that the team had received proved to be an overstatement as the Spartans didn’t let their opponents fame get to them. “Just because a team gets praise doesn’t mean they are unbeatable. You just have to worry about your game, not your opponents,” said one member of the number one doubles team Mitch Montgomery.

    This seems to be a good motto as many of the Spartan players are continuously improving their game. They will need all of their players to be at the top of their game for the rest of their regular season matches. The Spartans carry a 2-2 record into their next match, and hope that the wins keep on coming.