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PROVO — Last season, Desert Hills scratched its way to its first-ever boys tennis team title, narrowly defeating Juan Diego and Park City with wins in the final two matches.
This year? It wasn't even close.
Returning a team full of experienced title-winners, the Thunder rolled through play Friday without losing a single set, then kept that momentum going into the weekend. Desert Hills won four of the five individual titles on Saturday and finished with 26 points to claim the team title. Park City (12 points) and Juan Diego (10 points) were next in the final team standings.
The Thunder were once again led by senior Jordan Lyden, who captured his second straight No. 1 singles title.
"Jordan's biggest strength has always been his mental game," Desert Hills coach Dow Christenson said. "He's such a great competitor. And when he was down and not playing well today, he was able to focus and get back in it."
Lyden's two individual titles couldn't have been more different — last year he made short work of everybody he faced, while this time he was challenged in each of the final two rounds.
Park City's Kevin Colopy won the first set in the semifinals, then jumped out to a 3-2 lead in set No. 2 before Lyden responded with four straight points. He then battled out a 6-4 win in the deciding third set.
In the finals, Lyden defeated Juan Diego's Brenden Kempin 6-4, 6-4. Both sets were tied at 4-4 before Lyden broke the standout freshman's serve and rallied for the win.
"I've played against Kevin and Brenden before and I know they're both really good," Lyden said. "It was a lot tougher this year because of them, so I really had to pick up my game. I've worked hard for this all year, and it's all worth it."
John Nelson repeated as the No. 2 singles champion for the Thunder, defeating Juan Diego's Jake Barman 6-3, 6-1 in a rematch of last year's championship match.
Both of Desert Hills' doubles teams also won individual titles. The No. 1 pair of Mason Ford and Jens Nielsen defeated Gavin Nebeker and Jerome Roney of Wasatch 7-5, 7-5, while Kyle Hendrixson and Matt Plumb pulled out the No. 2 doubles title with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over Grantsville's Aaron Vera and Zac Garrard.
Park City's Jackson Engen was the only non-Desert Hills player to win an individual title. After losing in the championship match last year, the senior managed a quick 6-0, 6-1 win over Judge Memorial's John Burnett in the No. 3 singles division.
"Last year it was closer through to the finals, while this year we knew we had won before the finals were even played," Christenson said. "The intensity came from watching the individual finals, and it was gratifying that all of our guys who made it there were able to win."
With two straight team titles under their collective belts, the Thunder will return home with both the joy and pressure that comes with victory. But not before making a pit stop on the way.
"We're not going to worry about next year right now," Christenson said. "We're going to go eat at Tucanos."
email: mpayne@desnews.com
