Boys tennis: Heavyweights ready to rumble

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - The list of credentials for 10 of the 12 California

teams include a CIF championship, while the remaining four out-of-state

schools in the Corona del Mar High national tournament have plenty to

brag about on its own tennis resume.

And, once again, it will be a two-day feast for college tennis coaches

in the second annual CdM National High School Boys Tennis All-American

Invitational at the Palisades Tennis Club.

Among the top players competing in the tournament will be Peninsula

junior Rylan Rizza, ranked No. 2 in the Southern California 16s singles

and No. 5 in the United States Tennis Association.

Jesuit of Sacramento, the CIF North Coast Section champion the past

four years, features senior Sam Warburg, ranked No. 1 in Northern

California in the 18s and No. 14 nationally.

Another player to watch is junior James Pade of Menlo (Atherton).

Pade, an all-tournament choice last year in the inaugural event, is

ranked No. 1 in Northern California in the 16s and No. 10 in the USTA.

Pade, CdM’s Cameron Ball and Peninsula’s Jeff Kazarian, who plays No.

2 singles behind Rizza in the top-seeded Panthers’ potent lineup, are the

only three returning all-tournament players.

University, the defending CIF Southern Section Division II champion,

is not seeded in the tournament, but if Coach Jeff Hammond brings his

entire roster, look for the Trojans to make a strong showing.

Uni’s Aaron Yovan, a junior, is ranked No. 6 in the nation in the 16s,

while sophomore Jack Li and junior Henry Mak provide the Trojans with a

formidable 1-2-3 punch. University did not play in last year’s

tournament.

Coach Tim Mang’s CdM Sea Kings, in addition to Ball, are led by

UCI-bound senior Brain Morton, ranked No. 9 in the Southern California

18s and 94th nationally.

Senior Brian Wright of Fresno Clovis West is another top player to

keep an eye on. Wright is highly ranked in the Northern California 18s

and No. 40 in the USTA.

National team rankings by USA Today are at stake for the 16 schools,

and, for top individuals, the event serves as a key ingredient to gain

official status on the National High School All-American Team, the

foundation Mang began in 1998 to recognize the country’s best high school

players and generate positive attention to high school tennis.

Several locations are hosting first- and second-round matches Friday.

The Palisades Tennis Club will host the championship final Saturday at 5

p.m.

Different than the format used in CIF Southern Section team tennis,

the event will have six singles and three doubles matches in eight-game

pro sets. A total of nine points are available per match.

Peninsula, which has been ranked nationally for four straight years,

including top-five spots the last three seasons, won last year’s event

without a challenge. The Panthers defeated Menlo in the finals, 7-1.

Menlo is seeded second this year, while CdM is third and Brentwood

fourth. CdM defeated Brentwood, 10-8, in a nonleague match Tuesday.

Brentwood is the defending CIF Southern Section Division IV champion, a

division CdM will enter for the first time this year.

In last year’s first round, third-seeded Cherry Creek of Englewood,

Colo., and fourth-seeded Dr. Michael Krop of Miami, Fla., were knocked

off. Krop also lost in the back draw. Neither team returned this year. Of

the 16 teams, 10 played in last year’s event.

The Newport Beach Tennis Club, Costa Mesa Tennis Center and Park

Newport Apartments are also hosting matches.

Proceeds of the tournament go toward recognizing high school tennis

All-Americans via the National High School Tennis All-American

Foundation.