SOUTHERN SECTION TEAM TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS : 2-A : Valencia’s Title Shot Falls Short : Righetti Sweeps Singles Matches for 12-6 Victory

If the progress of Valencia High School’s boys’ tennis teams the last six seasons were recorded on a graph, you wouldn’t notice a dramatic change from year to year. The improvement has come in gradual doses, by slow but steady gains.

Last year, the Tigers reached the Southern Section 2-A semifinals for the first time under Coach John Cyrus, before losing to eventual champion Loyola.

On Wednesday, in the final against Righetti at the Anaheim Tennis Center, Valencia lost, 12-6.

“You have to crawl before you walk,” said Cyrus, who is in his sixth year as coach. “Then, you have to walk before you run. And, next year, I think we’re going to run away with the championship.”

Cyrus’ optimism isn’t unfounded. He loses just two players from his starting lineup. No. 3 singles player Mark Haskell and No. 1 doubles player Minh Ai will graduate. Two freshmen, Danny Yu and Sang Yim, play in the top two spots.

Righetti was expected to capitalize on the inexperience of Valencia’s singles players because the Warriors’ top three are all seniors. What was unexpected was that Righetti would manage to win three of the nine doubles points.

“The coach from San Luis (Obispo) told us we might pick up one point against their third doubles team,” said Righetti Coach Janice Beall. “But the boys have worked hard, and it showed today.”

Valencia defeated San Luis Obispo, 14-4, in the second round, and Beall felt her doubles teams were not as strong as San Luis Obispo’s. So she was heartened when her top doubles team, Mark Hickey and Mike Day, pushed Valencia’s No. 1 team, Eric Flint and Ai, to a tiebreaker before losing in the first round of matches.

In the second round, Righetti’s No. 2 doubles team picked up one point, and the Nos. 1 and 2 teams got a point each in the third round.

By then, though, it really didn’t matter. Righetti had secured the victory by winning all six singles points in the first two rounds. The Warriors finished off the singles sweep by taking the final three matches in the third round.

Valencia’s Yu came the closest to winning a set. Yu, 61-10 before the final, lost, 7-5, to Brent Henderson and 7-5 to Joel Gutirrez.

“We have nothing to be embarrassed about,” Cyrus said. “I feel good. We got a little further than last year. The kids fought all the way down to the last match.

“I feel really good about next year. We’ll have a day off and then we’ll get started for next year on Friday.”

Meanwhile, the Righetti players and Beall wanted to savor this year for a little while longer.

“This is the second boys’ team ever from Righetti to get to the final,” Beall said. “Our golf team tied, so this is the first outright title. The boys told me, ‘Coach, we don’t want runner-up this time on the banner.’ ”

Righetti finished the season with a 23-1 record; Valencia’s record was 23-2.