T-birds claw their way to 4A state tennis title

After watching Judge's James Robbins upset his No. 3 singles player in the second round of the 4A tennis tournament Friday, Timpview coach Nate Warner spent the rest of the day agonizing over his player's defeat. The loss pulled East into a first place tie with the T-birds, and Warner worried that it could cost his team the championship.

Later that night, the Timpview coach dreamed that the defeat did in fact cost his team the title. When he woke up at 4 a.m., Warner couldn't sleep the rest of the night as he continued to fret over the fate of his squad.

"I couldn't get it out of my mind," he said.

With the pressure of winning the title squarely on his team's shoulders, the T-birds responded Saturday by winning every match en route to the championship.

"It feels awesome to win," Warner said. "That has been our goal all year long. Our kids focused on it and were determined to do it."

After pulling off several upsets in the opening rounds of the tournament, East ran out of luck Saturday, when the team lost all three of its semifinal matches.

The Leopards' demise, coupled with the success of Timpview in the round, was the determining factor for the tournament.

"I believe the title is won or lost in the semifinals," Warner said.

In No. 1 doubles, Timpview's Chase Evans and Rob Stephenson were a key part of their team's success. As the Region 6 No. 3 seed, the pair played every match as the lower seed. Still, they managed to fight their way to victory.

"All our matches were really close," Evans said. "It feels really good to win."

Before taking on Sky Jensen of West in the No. 1 singles final, Timpview's Bradley Ferguson said he was the underdog. With a decisive advantage in power, and as the defending champion, Jensen appeared to have the upper hand in the match.

However, what Ferguson lacked in strength he made up for in quick thinking and exceptional ball placement, defeating Jensen in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

"I had never beaten him before, and I had never played in front of so many people in my life," Ferguson said. "The main thing for me was to focus one point at a time. I tried to angle him off the court."

Trailing in the first set, Ferguson used several impressive lob shots to overcome the deficit and take the set.

"I've always been known for my lobs," he said. "It's easy for me."

Timpview's other victory came in No. 2 singles. Junior Kevin Stanworth defeated Bryan Marchant of Olympus, 6-1, 6-2 for the title.

In No. 3 singles, the championship went to Bountiful's Chris Adamson, who defeated Carlton Taylor of Pleasant Grove in three sets 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Box Elder's Doug Brown and Chris Wouden claimed the No. 2 doubles title.

The pair won in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2.

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