GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Go big or go home was the thought going through the mind of Rocky Mountain’s Casey MacMasters.

And go big is just what MacMasters did Saturday in his battle with Cherry Creek’s Harry Jewitt in their championship match at No. 1 singles in the Cherry Creek Invitational.

The Lobos senior, the runner-up at No. 2 singles last season, beat Jewitt 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 to capture top individual honors in the eight-team meet.

But MacMasters’ win wasn’t enough to help derail Cherry Creek’s Red Team Express from winning the team title. The Bruins of coach Kirk Price scored 35 points to edge Kent Denver (31) and Regis Jesuit (30).

MacMasters, who is 12-0 this season, simply was overpowering in the first set against Jewitt, a three-time Cherry Creek state champion. He only allowed Jewitt to win a total of seven games in the first set, and it

took Jewitt until the sixth game to get a points sweep against MacMasters.

In four other games, Jewitt only managed to score a single point against the Lobos ace.

“I came out lightning fast in the first set,” MacMasters said. “But in the second set, Harry figured my pattern and took off. In the third, I figured I had to change my tactic, and I tired to penetrate deeper. In the third set, when we were tied 3-3, I just thought if I don’t go big, just go home.”

And with the set tied at 3-3 and Jewitt serving, MacMasters won the fifth game of the match to go deuce.

“Harry was missing on some of his first serves and I was able to use that to come through,” MacMasters said. “I think at that point I had the confidence I was going to win it.”

After coming back to win the second set, Jewitt felt he had gained an edge. And when he went up 3-2 in the

Third set, he felt better. But it all collapsed in the following four games as MacMasters came up with the win.

“I certainly started slow and couldn’t get in a groove,” said Jewitt, who lost only the fourth match of his

career at Cherry Creek but the third this season. “I was effective when I got to the net but couldn’t take

total control. And, he has a very hard serve, which I had trouble overcoming.”

In fact, neither MacMasters nor Jewitt were that successful coming to the net in the long run. It turned out to be a match that was played with power baseline to baseline.

This was a tournament that Cherry Creek never had lost, but it was in trouble of doing so. Or, at least tying

Kent Denver. And, it was a bit of sweet revenge, as it was Kent that ended the Bruins’ 74-match winning streak two weeks ago, only their second loss in a dual meet since 1970.

Helping to pull Cherry Creek from the brink of team defeat was the No. 1 doubles tandem of Zach Chernow and Brian Maierhofer. The two won their first set against Kent Denver’s Matt Carroll and James Martinez 6-4. In the second, they found themselves down 5-0. But they rebounded to win the next seven games for the victory, their fifth this season together without a loss.

“We just wanted to be aggressive and go for it,” said Chernow, a senior. “It looked like we were going to split sets, but we wanted a couple of games at least to try and get some momentum back.”

Said Maierhofer: “When we won the next two, I looked over at Zach and said we were not going to lose another game. We had the momentum. But it wasn’t looking too good down 0-5.”

While Chernow and Maierhofer might have come back to win in three sets, the victory proved to be decisive for Cherry Creek. Had Kent won, the Sun Devils and Bruins would have tied for the team championship.

“This has been a season of adversity so far,” Price said. “I thought early in the day that we might lose it. But I feel absolutely fabulous by the way the kids played today. I’m so proud of all of them. The No. 1s, to be down 0-5 against a solid team like Kent and come back was certainly gratifying, just a huge win for us.”

Cherry Creek won two other titles, at No. 2 and No. 3 singles. Taylor Sargent beat Kent’s J.J. Shpall at No. 2, 7-5, 6-1, and Connor Macey beat Kent’s Frazier Cavalss, 6-4, 6-3 at No. 3.

Kent only came through with one championship, winning at No. 4 doubles. That’s where the tandem of James Kreidle and Chase Procknow beat Jordan Brisch and Will Woodward of Regis, 7-5, 6-2.

But Regis wasn’t shut out of the championship picture, as the Raiders won the titles at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. Dominic D’Costa and Jacob Spreyer beat Cherry Creek’s Scott Rothbarth and Jack Robinson, 6-4, 6-3 at No. 2, and Luke Kiniry and Alex Gnaegy beat Kent’s Matt Brittan and Max Maulitz, 7-5, 6-1 at No. 3 doubles.

Results

Team: Cherry Creek 35, Kent Denver 31, Regis 30, Fairview 23, Rocky Mountain 12, Denver East 11, Cherry Creek 7, Chatfield 5.

Championship matches

No. 1 singles: Casey MacMasters, Rocky Mountain, def. Harry Jewitt, Cherry Creek, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. No. 2 singles: Taylor Sargent, Cherry Creek, def. J.J. Shpall, Kent Denver, 7-5, 6-1. No. 3 singles: Connor Macey, Cherry Creek, def. Frazier Cavalss, Kent Denver, 6-4, 6-3. No. 1 doubles: Zach Chernow/Brian Maierhofer, Cherry Creek, def. Matt Carroll/James Martinez, Kent Denver, 6-4, 7-5. No. 2 doubles: Dominic D’Costa/Jacob Spreyer, Regis, def. Scott Rothbarth/Jack Robinson, Cherry Creek, 6-4, 6-3. No. 3 doubles: Luke Kiniry/Alex Gnaeby, Regis, def. Matt Brittan/Max Maulitz, Kent Denver, 7-5, 6-1. No. 4 doubles: James Kreidle/Chase Procknow, Kent Denver, def. Jordan Brisch/Will Woodward, Regis, 7-5, 6-2.

Third-place matches

No. 1 singles: Joseph Lassen, Denver East, def. Dave Warren, Fairview, 6-4, 6-1. No. 2 singles: Marko Sorovic, Fairview, def. Colin Haas, Regis, 6-3, 6-1. No. 3 singles: Mark Miller, Regis, def. Justin Schnell, Rocky Mountain, 6-1, 6-4. No. 1 doubles: Spenser Erickson/Taylor Williams, Denver East, def. Logan Cercovnik/Dylan Gust, Regis, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4. No. 2 doubles: Will Lindsay/Chris Cartwright, Fairivew, def. Seth Snyder/Will Holliday, Cherry Creek II, 6-3, 6-1. No. 3 doubles: Tyler Harman/Jonny Combs, Fairview, def. Jack Greene/Gian Visciano, Cherry Creek II, 6-3, 6-3. No. 4 doubles: Evan Rush/Will Kuelthau, Fairview, def. Ross Donovan/Ben Gleave, Chatfield, 6-3, 7-5.

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