The No.2 singles and No.1 doubles titles gave the Spartans 49 1/2 points and just enough to hold off Metro Conference champion Millard South as the tournament concluded indoors at Hanscom Park. The Indians finished with 44 points, followed by Omaha Westside with 36, Lincoln High with 27 and Kearney with 26.

Ryan Fuhrer of Millard South took the No.1 singles championship and Kearney's Andy Vosik and Jason Boyd were state champs in No.2 doubles.

Nelson's 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Millard South's Antonio Salazar came just seconds before Tricker and Roth put away Omaha Westside's Trystan Crook and Brad Copple 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2.

"I thought it might go down to the last match of the day," said Lincoln East Coach Jeff Hoham. "I wish I would have been wrong, because now I've got a pacemaker in my heart- and I've named it Scott Tricker and Matt Roth."

Tricker and Roth, both seniors, finished the season 29-0, but not before they fought off a match point against Millard South's Jay Bemis and Chaz Kuper in the semifinals and turned back Crook and Copple.

"I had a deep fear," said Tricker. "You have to. I realized we were taking it for granted. As seniors, I don't want to lose."

Nelson ended his sophomore season at 28-0. Salazar, a foreign-exchange student from Mexico, made sure it wasn't easy.

"To tell you the truth I was pretty worried," said Nelson. "I played right into his hands. I played right where he wanted me to play, how he wanted me to play. Then I realized I had to change my game plan."

The Spartans were left with two finalists after No. 1 singles player Chad Van Horn was beaten by Westside's Aaron Crook and the No.2 doubles team of Jeremy Sand and Kelsey Moran was toppled by Omaha Creighton Prep's Mike Ruma and Ted Heieck in Friday Morning's semifinals. Both came back with consolation victories to supply some key points.

"We knew then that it would be very close," Hoham said. "But we kind of predicted this would happen. This might sound kind or crazy, but this is the way we mapped it out."

Fuhrer, the top seed, needed to bounce back for a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 victory after Aaron Crook dominated the second set of the No. 1 singles final. The junior started the final set by holding serve and then breaking Crook for a 2-0 lead.

"I needed to regain a little confidence," said Fuhrer. "I needed to win the first couple of games and get my confidence back. I guess it worked."

Lincoln East is the first Class A team to win five straight championships under the current six-player format. Omaha North won or shared the title for a five-year stretch (1961-65) and Creighton Prep won five straight (1947-51).

"Anytime in any sport that you're able to put together a string of five championships, you're proud of your school, you're proud of your community," said Hoham.

"Our players did something that no one will ever be able to say they did again. I'm so proud of them."