By Josh McFadden | [email protected]

In a process that began after the 2017 season’s state tournament came to a close, the Bingham boys tennis team closed out this year’s campaign with a solid showing at the Class 6A state tournament.

The Miners finished sixth at the tournament, held May 17–18 at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. Facing some of the top players and teams in the state, Bingham totaled six points, one point behind co-fourth-place finishers Weber and Layton, and two points behind the third-place team, Pleasant Grove. Lone Peak scored 30 points to win the Class 6A crown.

Bingham qualified six of its seven varsity players for the state tournament. Not bad for a youthful squad that entered the season with little experience.

“I was very happy how we handled the pressure and the environment for such a young team,” said head coach Steve Peterson. “This was the first time many of our players qualified for state. All matches were very competitive, and they never gave up. One critical game in the third set of our first doubles match in the semifinals lasted about 30 minutes. I have never seen one game last that long.”

First singles player Ethan Snow and third singles competitor Jeremy Christensen lost in the first round, but Peterson was pleased with their effort.

“They played their best matches of the year,” he said.

On the first doubles side, freshman Josh Peterson and sophomore Cody White defeated a pair from Cyprus 6-0, 6-0 in the first round and then took care of Riverton’s first doubles tandem 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they succumbed to Lone Peak’s entry in first doubles 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. That Lone Peak pair then won the state title in straight sets.

In second doubles, senior Austin Cox and junior Ben Crane beat Herriman’s team in the first round 6-1, 6-1 and then took out Weber’s team in the quarterfinals 6-3, 6-0. Cox and Crane then moved on to the championship with a 6-3, 6-4 victory in the semifinals over American Fork. The pair took second place when they fell to Alex Miller and Josh Weichers of Lone Peak 6-2, 6-3.

“Both doubles teams did extremely well,” Steve Peterson said. “They were both in contention to win state.”

With the 2018 season behind him, Steve Peterson reflected on the year as a whole and is happy with his players’ performance. He knows each player has improvements to make, but he’s excited for the potential that lies ahead.

“I think we had another good year,” he said. “We certainly have things to work on, but overall, I’m very pleased with how the boys competed.”

Snow and White served as team captains this season, and they both return next year. White has competed at state consecutive years and has gained valuable experience. Crane and Christensen will come back as seniors for the 2019 campaign. Josh Peterson, Sam McCoy and Tate Pedersen will only continue to get better. The freshmen contributed significantly to the Miners’ cause this season. Steve Peterson said soon-to-be junior Jaxson Galli has also shown significant improvement each year he has been in the program.

Based on the large contingent of returning starters and contributors, Steve Peterson has high hopes for next season.

“I love to see the improvement in the team from year to year,” he said. “We have a lot of players working really hard to compete for those coveted varsity spots next year. We hope to finish higher in region and state next season.”