Times-Dispatch All-Metro boys tennis team. Evan Charles, Deep Run. Playing No.2 singles and No.1 doubles with Hunter Koontz, Charles helped Deep Run defeat Mills Godwin and win the Colonial District title. He lost just three singles matches and teamed with Koontz to advance to the state tournament in doubles. The Wildcats were the region and state runners-up in team competition.

Over time, tennis has evolved from a casual summer pursuit to an intense year-round competition for Kyle Parker. The only thing that hasn’t changed for him is his success.

In his final high school tennis match, Kyle Parker fought through a pulled stomach muscle, switched shirts after sweating through the first one and survived a tension-filled tiebreaker in the second set. What he couldn’t do, however, was contain two hot streaks from Justin Shane, which the J.E.B. Stuart-Fairfax senior rode to a 6-2, 6-7 (7-3), 6-4 victory in yesterday’s state tennis championship.

FAIRFAX—All four Central Region players advanced to the singles semifinals of the state Group AAA boys and girls tennis tournaments. Competition was forced indoors at the Fairfax Racquet Club because of wet weather. Central Region girls champion Emily Hahn of Douglas Freeman didn’t have to play when opponent Kathleen Dawson of Ocean Lakes defaulted because of illness. Central runner-up Yasmin Fotovat swept Alex Ritter of First Colonial 6-2, 6-0.

The Mills Godwin and Deep Run boys tennis teams can hardly be more equal. When the two Colonial District teams met during the regular season, Deep Run won 5-4. It was the first time Deep Run had beaten Mills Godwin. The Eagles turned the tables in the Central Region team final, winning 5-4 in match that took a couple of days to complete.

The margin for error was gone. A mishit, anything outside the lines or a double fault would end Kyle Parker’s bid for a third Central Region singles tennis title. The Mills Godwin High senior had to win three straight points—and then a fourth—just to stay alive against Deep Run sophomore Hunter Koontz yesterday. Facing four match points in the second set, Parker staved off every one. He recovered to win the set, then went on to give his mother another plaque to hang in their basement with a 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 victory in a match that lasted 2:20 at James River High.

Mills Godwin High School’s Kyle Parker won his third Central Region boys tennis singles title, defeating Deep Run’s Hunter Koontz 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 today at James River High School. Down 5-4 in the second set, Parker staved off four match points to tie the match then won the next two games. Both players will advance to Group AAA state championships.—Tim Pearrell

The Deep Run boys tennis team scored a historic victory Wednesday. Deep Run defeated Mills Godwin 5-4 for the first time in school history. The Wildcats won on their home courts in a match that almost didn’t happen because of end-of-the-school-day rain. Sun tried to warm up the players and spectators who weathered cold temperatures and blustery wind.

Evan Charles plays No. 2 for Deep Run, which is trying to overtake Mills Godwin. The high school athletic cycle dictates a perennial champion’s streak eventually runs out and the baton is passed. The Deep Run boys tennis team is poised to wrest the Colonial District and Central Region titles from longtime power Mills Godwin. Deep Run stepped over Douglas Freeman, which has won its share of district and region titles, to become the region’s second best team last year.