Boys tennis: No. 1 CdM eyes final

Barry Faulkner

According to Corona del Mar High Coach Tim Mang, Cinderella will

sleep through the CIF Southern Section boys tennis playoffs. If it’s

upsets you want, root for the Los Angeles Kings, or follow the final two

legs of horse racing’s Triple Crown.

“It’s Brentwood and us in the finals,” Mang said, after mere seconds

of reflection on the CIF Division V pairings, released Tuesday at the

Southern Section office. “But at least our division has the strongest two

teams.”

CdM (18-0), champion of the Pacific Coast League and ranked No. 1 in

Orange County, is the top seed in Division V. But, though a new section

rule prohibits them from competing in Division I, as they have in past

years, Mang’s Sea Kings can focus on a potential challenge from

formidable Brentwood, seeded No. 2 and champion of the Delphic League,

should both, as expected, cruise to the May 30 title match at the

Claremont Club.

“Brentwood beat (perennial Division I champion) Peninsula and we beat

Peninsula,” Mang said. “And we beat Brentwood, 10-8, this year. In fact,

we’ve beaten all the No. 1 seeds from the other Divisions (Los Alamitos,

University, Beverly Hills and Servite in Divisions I-IV, respectively).

The Sea Kings, who won the Division I crown in 1999 and lost on games

to Harvard-Westlake in the Division I semifinals last spring, open the

playoffs Tuesday against visiting Orange Lutheran.

Claremont-based Webb, tied for the No. 10 ranking in the latest

Division V poll, is a likely second-round opponent May 17, with the

quarterfinals slated May 22 and the semifinals May 24.

Harvard-Westlake is seeded No. 4 in Division V and San Marino is the

No. 3 seed.

CdM, which concluded its regular season April 24, will make use of its

near two-week team layoff (individuals competed in the Ojai Valley

tournament, as well as the PCL singles and doubles championships) by

resting its top players and auditioning candidates for the one spot left

open in its doubles lineup.

“I told Brian Morton (No. 2 singles), who has had a bad forearm, he

was off the first two matches,” Mang said. “We’ll play some of our

younger guys in the first couple rounds.”

Mang said the layoff will also help Cameron Ball and Garrett Snyder

recover from mononucleosis.

The Sea Kings’ premier lineup features seniors Ball and Morton, as

well as Snyder, a sophomore, in singles. Seniors Peter Kulmaticki and

Michael Bean are set at No. 1 doubles, with senior Randy Myers and a

partner to be determined at No. 2 doubles. Seniors Shaan Wadhwa and Ryan

Stockwell are at No. 3 doubles.

“All those guys are all-league,” Mang said.

Ball, the 1999 PCL singles champion, lost in the PCL title match this

season.

Morton, bound for UC Irvine, and Snyder won the PCL doubles crown over

teammates and defending champions Kulmaticki and Bean.

“I like to see Division I by our name, but there was nothing we could

do about that,” Mang said.