Mustangs anxious

Richard Dunn

While some on-campus peer pressure from the girls might ignite the

Costa Mesa High boys tennis team this spring, don’t expect any

miracles from Coach Bill Harader’s Mustangs.

“The coverage we got with the girls (in the fall) was really

great. They won the first league tennis championship in the school’s

42-year history,” said Harader, an assistant coach for the girls

under Joe Havens.

Harader, in his second year as the boys head coach, added: “I

don’t think we can match that. We’re too young and inexperienced. But

down the road, who knows?”

The primary reason for optimism is centered around the fact that

the Mustangs no longer play in the supremely competitive Pacific

Coast League with CIF Southern Section powerhouses Corona del Mar,

University, Laguna Beach and Northwood.

In the new Golden West League, the Mustangs will show up to the

matches knowing they “at least have got a chance to win,” Harader

said. “We had no chance against Corona del Mar and some of the likes.

Those schools are too much of a powerhouse.”

Costa Mesa won only two matches last year, both against Estancia

in the PCL as the Mustangs claimed fifth place ahead of their city

rival. Further, the Mustangs didn’t field a junior varsity team last

year, which hurts the program, Harader said, because players miss out

on valuable playing experience.

Harader, a retired school teacher and member at Palisades Tennis

Club in Newport Beach, said he “expects the kids to continue to

improve. I’m really passionate about tennis. I’ve been playing all my

life. I’ve always wanted to coach. I taught elementary school and I

didn’t think I could do that and coach.”

With a team of three juniors and the rest sophomores, Harader will

point to sophomores David Lee and Brian Nguyen and junior newcomer

Huy Pham to play singles. The Mustangs play Ocean View in the Golden

West League lid-lifter March 11.

“The guys are working real hard in the preseason,” Harader said.

“Like the girls, our boys will be competing at a level in league

which is more (competitively equal than the PCL) ... our guys were

going up against kids with a lot of experience, players who started

when they were very young.”

Costa Mesa lost Spencer Solomon (now playing at Orange Coast

College), Cuong Nguyen and Billy Halverson to graduation, but Harader

believes that Le and Brian Nguyen, both of whom played doubles last

spring, can fill the team’s top two singles spots this season. Pham

is not a tournament player, but has taken lessons at Los Caballeros

Sports Village.

“All three of my singles players are very competitive. They’re all

on about the same level,” Harader said.

Harader is still tinkering with doubles combinations, but expect

sophomore Garrett Sneen and junior Albert Nguyen to play No. 1

doubles.

Sophomores Andrew Nguyen, Brenden McNulty, Daniel Gomez and Canh

Mei could round out the Mustangs’ second and third doubles teams,

while sophomores Francisco Vahena, Thai Vo and John Dang will vie for

playing time. Everyone except Pham and Vahena are returning

lettermen.

“We’ve got all kinds of sophomores,” Harader said. “Most of them

are coming back from last year, so they have one-year experience ...

we’re building this year, but we’re going to have a lot of fun.”