The Register’s boys tennis preview for the 2017 season.
ORANGE COUNTY BOYS TENNIS TOP 10
1. University: The Trojans enter the season as the prohibitive favorites to win the always-loaded Pacific Coast League with proven performers fronting both their singles and doubles lineup. Juniors Naevin Anukornchaikul and Julian Lafond make up a solid one-two punch atop the singles lineup, while Hans Hwang and Patryk Kozlowski are both returning first-team All-County doubles performers.
2. Los Alamitos: The Griffins battled University to an 11-7 result this past week, and while they currently might be a step behind the Trojans, they remain the team to beat in the Sunset League. Los Al’s singles lineup consists of a trio of four-star players in Ethan Kolsky, Naara Shin and Colter Smith.
3. Corona del Mar: No team has to replace more talent this season than the Sea Kings after graduating Bjorn Hoffmann, the county’s reigning player of the year, and another All-County performer in Pedro Fernandez del Valle. CdM is young but talented. Sophomore Kyle Pham takes the reins as the top singles player and junior Diego Fernandez del Valle stepping in at No. 2.
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BOYS TENNIS PREVIEW
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4. Woodbridge: The Warriors could contend for the second-place spot in the Pacific Coast League. Sophomore Stefan Dostanic is the county’s next star in the making, and Leo Hibi is a gifted four-star junior. Woodbridge is off to a 5-1 start this season with its lone loss coming against a talented Palos Verdes team.
5. Beckman: The Patriots graduated five players from last season’s team that started all four years of their high school careers. Seniors Joshua Yoo and Alex Gibson are proven talents, but with fresh faces up and down the lineup, Beckman’s youngsters will need to demonstrate they can win at the varsity level.
6. Irvine: The Vaqueros look to be one of the most improved teams in the county this season, adding four-star senior Koki Takabatake to its singles lineup alongside Praneeth Depur. Irvine is off to a 5-0 start this season. It was 5-15 a year ago and didn’t win its fifth match until mid-April.
7. Northwood: The Pacific Coast League’s dominance shines through when considering the Timberwolves are off to a 6-0 start this season and were voted to finish last in league. Senior Jeff Mah returns as one of Northwood’s top starters.
8. Sage Hill: The Lightning graduated just three players from a team that went 14-5 a season ago and finished in second place behind only CIF Division 2 runner-up Crean Lutheran in the Academy League. Sage Hill could be a major player in the Division 2 playoff picture.
9. San Clemente: The Tritons will have to replace two of the area’s top singles players from last season in Jay Yeam and Michael Bott. Junior Caden Spencer and freshman Griffen Wolfe will step into No. 1 and 2 singles roles. Winning another South Coast League title will be harder than ever this season with a talented Capistrano Valley team looking like a legitimate threat to take the throne.
10. Fountain Valley: The Barons will receive a boost when Westminster transfer Justin Pham becomes eligible near the start of league play. With Justin Nguyen and freshman Ryan Trinh forming a formidable singles lineup, Fountain Valley will battle Los Alamitos for Sunset League supremacy.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@scng.com
