2012 All-County boys tennis team

2012 ALL-COUNTY FIRST TEAM

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Gage Brymer, University, Jr.

Click here to read about Brymer.

Stefan Menichella, University, Jr.

In the Corona del Mar All-American Tournament, Menichella submitted one of the more memorable performances of the year by playing both singles and doubles sets with a broken wrist. As one-third of the team that claimed University's third consecutive Griggs Cup, Menichella and Drew Dawson won University's first Ojai doubles title. At CIF Individuals, Menichella reached the round of 64 before falling to Foothill's Stefan Doehler in two sets. In the postseason, University's power forward of a singles player thrived alongside Brymer and Dawson in the Trojans' march to a third consecutive CIF-SS Division 1 title. In the championship match against Corona del Mar, the junior won all three of his singles sets, 6-0, 6-1, 6-2.

Jonathan Hammel, Valencia, Sr.

The key cog in Valencia's fifth consecutive run to the Empire League championship, Hammel -- who will play at UC Irvine next year -- finished the regular season with a 35-1 mark. Each of those 35 victories came 6-0 as he capped his senior campaign with a fourth consecutive Empire League singles crown. At both CIF Individuals and Ojai, the senior captain advanced to the round of 16. In leading Valencia to the CIF-SS Division 3 title, Hammel handed the Tigers three sets in every round, including a trifecta of 6-0 sets in the championship match against Whitney.

Caryl Hernandez, Troy, Sr.

Troy's most reliable player over the last four years, Hernandez led the Warriors to their seventh consecutive Freeway League title. With Hernandez at the helm, Troy never dropped a league match. After running the table in the regular season, the UC Irvine-bound senior claimed his third consecutive singles crown and finished the year with a 46-3 overall record -- two of those losses coming in a single match against Corona del Mar. At both Ojai and CIF Individuals, Hernandez and his authoritative serve advanced to the round of 16.

Stefan Doehler, Foothill, So.

During the regular season, decisive victories over a plethora of future collegiate athletes thrust the 16 year-old into the high school tennis spotlight. He was 67-0 on the court, but 0-1 off it -- the only opponent strong enough to down Doehler this season was a recurring flu he caught the day before his match in the CIF Individuals round of 32. In advancing to the round of 32, though, the sophomore defeated University's Stefan Menichella in what was arguably his most impressive victory of the year. On his way to earning Century League MVP honors, Doehler claimed his first of what looks to be many future singles titles.

Drew Dawson, So. and Ryo Shimizu, Sr., University

Aesthetically speaking, you won't find a pair of teammates with less in common. Shimizu is a senior; Dawson a sophomore. Dawson prefers high black socks; Shimizu goes with low white ones. Shimizu plays without a hat; Dawson plays with one. Dawson's a righty; Shimizu's a lefty. On the court, however, the two formed Orange County's most lethal doubles team. Shimizu lived at the net all season, using his particular set of skills to build a reputation as one of the county's most efficient net players. Dawson built on an impressive freshman campaign by winning the doubles title at Ojai. Together, the Pacific Coast League champions cruised to the CIF final where they eventually fell to Palm Desert in three sets.

Alex Murray, Sr. and Henry Gordon, Fr. Corona del Mar

Murray, Corona del Mar's unequivocal leader on and off the court, teamed with three different doubles partners this season, none more effective and complementary than the freshman Gordon. Individually, Murray compiled a 39-2 doubles record against Orange County opponents, including a 5-1 mark against rival University. Despite being one of four revolving singles players the majority of the year, Gordon thrived in doubles late in the season, finishing 11-2 against Orange County competition. As a team, the duo finished second to Dawson and Shimizu in the Pacific Coast League finals and reached the CIF semifinals. In the CIF-SS Division 1 championship match, the twosome won two of three sets against University.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Patrick Young, Esperanza

After a major CIF rules violation left Esperanza coach-less a week before its first league match, Young stepped into an interim role with the Aztecs and steadily weathered the storm. Despite the absence of a high-caliber, three-sets-guaranteed singles players, Esperanza ran flawlessly through the Century League and into the CIF-SS Division 2 semifinals. The fact that not a single Aztecs player or team qualified for the CIF Individual Championships cements the notion that high school tennis matches are won with balance, a strength of Esperanza's that Young accentuated all season. With less than a handful of league matches remaining on the schedule, Young was offered the keys to the tennis program, to which he gladly accepted.

ALL-COUNTY SECOND TEAM

Jayson Amos, El Toro, Jr.

Justin Agbayani, Mater Dei, Sr.

Alec Adamson, Corona del Mar, Jr.

Carson Williams, Corona del Mar, So.

Julian Ruffin, Northwood, Sr.

Cyrus Modarres/Ryan Peterman, Esperanza

Kevin Mariano/Ryan Mariano, San Clemente