Valencia’s Coach, Players Share Goals

Optimism surrounds the Valencia High School boys’ tennis team as it enters the Southern Section 2-A playoffs today.

It seems it can’t help finding its way to the team.

It’s all part of a program for winning established by John Cyrus, in his seventh year as Valencia’s coach.

“We’ve been saying all year that everything starts with the man in the mirror,” Cyrus said. “You have look at yourself and say you did your best.”

Young but steadily improving, Valencia comes into its first-round match against Ontario as the second-seeded team behind No. 1 San Luis Obispo. Valencia (18-2) went undefeated in winning the Orange League championship and lost only to Laguna Beach and Sonora, both 3-A teams, in nonleague play. Valencia dominated the Orange League individual championships last week, taking the top two spots in the singles and doubles competition.

The Valencia girls’ team, also coached by Cyrus, won the 2-A championship last November, and one of the coach’s goals is to complete a sweep with a boys’ championship.

“As a coach you’ve got to set up goals to keep you motivated,” Cyrus said. “Kids rise to whatever challenge you give to them. They’ve met the challenges before.

“We have goal cards the kids fill out at the beginning of the season. Their team goals were winning league and going undefeated. And every kid had winning CIF (the Southern Section 2-A title) as one of their goals.”

That’s a high standard, particularly considering that Valencia’s top three singles players are not seniors.

“We’re really looking forward to winning it,” said Danny Yu, the Tigers’ No. 1 singles player. “I know Coach Cyrus has been looking forward to winning for a long, long time.”

Yu, a sophomore, lost just two sets in 19 matches this season.

“He’s a super player with an all-court game,” Cyrus said. “Last year, he was really just considered a baseline player.”

Ryan Takenaga, also a sophomore, plays at No. 2 singles. Takenaga lost to Yu in the league singles final. Both qualified for the Southern Section individual tournament, which begins Saturday.

Paul Rygalski, a junior, is the veteran of the group, playing at No. 3 singles.

Eric Flint and Colin Robinson, two seniors, are the Tigers’ No. 1 doubles team. They won the league doubles title and have been playing impressively. It was Flint’s third straight doubles title.

Yu said the doubles team is Valencia’s backbone.

“Those guys have been playing together for so long,” he said. “They know each other so well.”

Said Cyrus: “They beat my assistant (Eric Wilt) and me the other day. I don’t like to remember the score, but it’s a good sign that they are playing so well.”

Though the Valencia singles players are young, they are by no means inexperienced. Yu playing in the No. 1 singles position as a freshman last season, led Valencia to the championship match. Valencia lost to Righetti, 12-6.

The Tigers lost an edge by making the final last season, Cyrus said.

“I think now that we’ve been successful in the past, it’s easier for teams to get ready for us. The biggest challenge this season was to motivate the kids into believing that other people could play with us. We’ve lost that edge as the underdog.”