By Jerry Christensen | [email protected]

It is not often that lightning strikes just at the right moment when all the elements are properly lined up. At the 5A region tennis tournament in mid-May, the elements aligned for Brighton boys tennis team. The combined years of steady preparation paid off in a spectacular flash of brilliance. Big Orange ended the tournament with a near sweep and another region trophy. 

UHSAA tennis pits the first individual tennis player from each school against the first player for the other 30 5A schools. The same is true for the second and third varsity players respectively. These brackets are complemented by first doubles and second doubles competitions. The point totals from these five brackets become the team score. Brighton took first place in the first four brackets and second place in second doubles. A near sweep. 

The leaderboard at region was awash with orange:

Brighton varsity tennis team - first place region champs 

First singles - Hardy Owen region champion

Second singles - Parker Hopkin region champion

Third singles - Ty Parrish region champion

First doubles - Ford Owen and Owen Hopkin region champions

Second doubles - Davis Turley and Cameron Grass second place 

Longtime Brighton tennis coach and math teacher Natalie Meyer calculates the team's probability to win its 30th state tennis title (boys and girls) to be high. But she remains cautious. "Anything can happen at state. Doesn’t matter your season record. All opponents are tough."

When asked if this region showing is the best she has seen coming out of Brighton, Meyer recalls, "I’ve had teams in the past that have all taken first place in region and state. We swept state three times." 

Brighton teams are no stranger to the state tennis scene. "Brighton’s tennis teams have high expectations for themselves. We have a great coaching staff, we spend countless hours on the court, players play year round and we have great summer programs that work with youth from five years old to 18," Meyer said.

Evidence of a strong evergreen tennis program are the underclassmen who are competing at the highest varsity levels including Parrish, Owen, Hopkin and Grass. Even as the highly decorated seniors end their high school tennis careers and move to the collegiate level, the next generation steps up.