Southern Section Tennis Playoffs : Corona del Mar Stays With Its Juggling Act

Dave Heffern, Corona del Mar High School boys’ tennis coach, took a novel approach in preparing his team for the start of the Southern Section 5-A playoffs last week.

He juggled his lineup.

Heffern paired brothers Scott and Rob Atkin, who rarely had played as a team, and he took Doug Schulein and Rich Han away from their regular partners and matched them.

Although the Sea Kings had experimented with several combinations during the season, Heffern’s last move was by far the most drastic.

And if the players were a little hesitant, they nevertheless have been successful.

As it turned out, “It was a great time to start playing together,” Han said.

Corona del Mar (15-8), largely on the strength of its doubles play, has advanced to the 5-A semifinals and will play at top-seeded Beverly Hills today at 3:15 p.m.

The winner will gain a spot in the 5-A championship match Wednesday. Newport Harbor will play at Santa Barbara in the other semifinal today at 3:15.

“I’m pretty realistic,” Heffern said. “We’ve got to beat them in the doubles if we’re going to have a chance at beating them. Our plan is to win seven (out of the nine) doubles sets and three of the singles.”

Beverly Hills beat Corona del Mar, 11-7, in the teams’ nonleague match earlier this season. However, that was before Heffern changed the doubles teams.

Scott and Rob Atkin, the Sea Kings’ No. 1 team, were paired together for the first time this season in the Sea View League individual tournament earlier this month. The Atkins--Scott is a senior, Rob a junior--won the league’s doubles title by beat Schulein and Han, the Sea Kings’ No. 2 team, 7-5, 6-4.

Schulein and Han, both juniors, upset the top-seeded team of Mike and Jamie Hardin from Newport Harbor en route to the final. They also have advanced to the round of 16 in the Southern Section individual tournament, which continues Friday.

“These four guys are our four best players,” Heffern said. “Three of them have lettered since they were freshmen, and Han has for the last two years.

“They all have played doubles (at Corona del Mar). We had (Mike) Briggs before.”

Briggs was The Times’ player of the year and runner-up in the Southern Section singles final last season. His graduation left a void in singles.

Now, Corona del Mar’s No. 1 singles player is Jamie Katzman, a freshman.

So the burden of winning has fallen to the doubles teams.

“That’s the way it’s been all year, so we’re used to it,” Schulein said.

In 4-A semifinals, Canyon plays at top-seeded Dana Hills and Westlake is at Foothill.

In the 3-A semifinals, Laguna Beach travels to play top-seeded San Marino. Los Alamitos, the second-seeded team, plays at Woodbridge.

In the 2-A semifinals, Valencia, second seeded and last year’s runner-up, plays at third-seeded Keppel.