The boys of Faith Luthera High School, the Palo Verde girls, won the 5A tennis championship

When Faith Lutheran opens its new tennis hall in December, it will receive a new state championship flag to be baptized.

The Crusaders won the Palo Verde 10-8 Class 5A boys championship on Friday at Bishop Gorman for their first championship in program history.

“We had a good group of seniors who had good experiences with match games and difficult situations,” Faith Lutheran coach Jeff Foley said. – Our captains are really good leaders and cheerleaders for everyone, and I think it was because of the teammate. They lifted each other up. It was an amazing match. “

The Crusaders were unable to survive two championships as Palo Verde won the girls ’championship 13-5.

Faith Lutheran has had her home in the Darling Tennis Center, which Foley calls a “good place to play,” but she’s excited to have a place on campus that can be called home.

Nicco Ripamonti and Stephen Dobrev went 3-0 in their four-place spot, and Kenny Dobrev was 3-0 in the doubles. This caused second-year student Nolan Dubay to set the final point for the Crusaders, who ended the season undefeated and denied Palo Verde the fifth consecutive state championship.

“Nolan is a sophomore, so it was a great win for him,” Foley said. – This was the boys’ first time in the final, and it was an incredible victory for a great team. We were up, we were down, and the match was tight throughout, the way the championship match is supposed to be.

The girls ’match was nowhere near as tight.

Palo Verde coach Tyler Marchant didn’t even use his starters in the first round, but the Panthers survived it evenly and dominated the second and third rounds with five points each to win.

Palo Verde won her sixth girls ’state championship and backed in 2019 after winning her title. The Panthers did it without the best player, Caroline Lemcke, who was on a university visit.

“The depth of this team is insane,” Marchant said. – I tell them all the time that I am grateful for them because I don’t have to stress about their matches. I know they’re going to court and taking care of things. ”

The Basic boys won Silverado 11-7, and its girls won Sierra Vista 10-8 by sweeping the 4A championships at home. Both titles are the first in the history of the Wolves program.

Boulder City beat Meadows 10-8 to win the 3A boys title, and The Meadows girls dominated Trucke 15-3 for 3A crowns in Liberty High. It is the fourth consecutive state championship and the seventh overall event for the boys of Boulder City and the sixth straight and ninth overall event for the girls of The Meadows.

The singles and doubles championships will be played on Saturday.

Contact Jason Orts at [email protected]. Follow @SportsWithOrts On Twitter.