HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS PREVIEW : Harvard Burning With Desire to Keep a Death Grip on Title : Streak: The Saracens are shooting for their fourth consecutive division championship.

The macabre logo of last season’s Harvard High tennis team--a Grim Reaper clutching a tennis racket instead of a scythe--has been replaced this year by a flaming “H” emblazoned on the T-shirts and hats of the Saracen players.

The sentiment behind the insignia, that of a take-no-prisoners intensity, remains. Harvard, the defending boys’ 2-A Division champion, might well brand an “H” on the Southern Section trophy.

The Saracens won 1-A titles in 1987 and 1988. The school moved to the 2-A last season, finished 25-2 and defeated Righetti in the final.

Enthusiasm for tennis abounds at the North Hollywood school. Several students take private lessons in their spare time, and, unlike many coaches who have trouble finding enough talent to fill a nine-man roster, Harry Salamandra still is wading through a list of 50 candidates interested in playing on the team.

“Quite a few of the people coming out are beginners,” Salamandra said. “But tennis is one of those sports that they’ve been exposed to.”

Many coaches in the area have been overexposed to Harvard tennis.

“They are a potential championship-caliber team,” Notre Dame Coach Howard Fausto said. “A perennial powerhouse. They’re good, no doubt about it.”

Those who wear the flaming “H” should continue to smoke. Senior Raj Vaswani, the No. 1 singles player last year, returns along with Chris Pisano, who played doubles with returnee Pat List but will move to singles. Jeremy Steckler and Charles Tseng will form the top doubles tandem.

Vaswani might be the class of the lot, but parity reigns among the others.

“Those players are fairly close on talent,” Salamandra said. “On any given day, I can put any two on the court and I can’t tell you who’s going to win. I see them finding their own spots after we start practicing. It’s nice that there’s a possibility that any one of those guys can play second singles.”

To hone his players’ skills before San Fernando Valley League play, Salamandra has scheduled powerful teams such as Rolling Hills, Redondo, Miraleste and Palisades. On Tuesday, the Saracens will open at Kennedy, the defending City Section 3-A Division champion.

“I’m not going to say I see another title, but I’m enthusiastic to work with the guys,” Salamandra said. “We’ll be competitive, I’ll leave it at that.”

Area teams to watch:

GLENDALE (PACIFIC LEAGUE): Before losing a hotly contested race to Arcadia for the Pacific League championship last season, Glendale had won three consecutive league titles. Although most of Arcadia’s top players return, this season’s Dynamiter team might remind some of Glendale’s heyday.

Martin Escos, second in league singles play the past two years, has honed his serve-and-volley game, and Dutch exchange student Marco Klyn and freshman Chong Cho will rely on strong baseline attacks to gnaw through opponents.

“I think our singles are as strong as anyone around,” Coach Bob Davidson said. “We have to solidify our doubles.”

Matt Leising and Alen Harootunian, both juniors, should help in that department.

TAFT (WEST VALLEY LEAGUE): Under Coach Marvin Jones, Taft has advanced to the 4-A final for the past two years but has lost to Palisades both times.

The Toreadors figure to make a strong run at a third appearance with the addition of freshmen John Rom and Devir Levy. Rom will play No. 1 singles and Levy and Derek Halpern will form the top doubles team.

“You don’t have ninth-graders that can break the top ten too often,” Jones said.

Seniors David Alderman and Mikhail Rudolfsen and sophomore David Goldman also will play singles. Other top doubles teams are Eric Ficksman and Robbie Polak and Andy Kimelman and Steve Price.

NOTRE DAME (SAN FERNANDO VALLEY LEAGUE): The Knights finished second in the league last season led by Arnold Thomloi, who advanced to the doubles quarterfinals. He will move to singles play this year.

Chris Afarian, an all-league kicker on the football team, might challenge Thomloi for the top position.

The doubles team of Adam Pick and Paxton Lazar, both seniors, also returns.

KENNEDY (NORTH VALLEY LEAGUE): While other teams are scrambling to replaced graduated players, the Golden Cougars are stocked with experienced talent. Kennedy, which dropped from the 4-A to the 3-A last year, finished 18-1 and won its first division title.

Singles standouts Bobby Butler, Tony Yean, David Schwartz and Josh Etting lead this year’s team. The top doubles tandem of Henry Wang and James Min also returns.

“I’ve had these kids for three years in a row,” Coach Craig Raub said. “When you get in a dogfight, you need that character to fall back on.”

EL CAMINO REAL (WEST VALLEY LEAGUE): The Conquistadores, who lost to perennial champion Palisades in the second round of the 4-A playoffs, lost their top two singles players.

Sorin Gowa, who was on the No. 1 doubles team last season, will play No. 2 singles. Steve Pak was on the second doubles team and will play No. 3 singles. Mike Chesmazur is the leading candidate for the top singles position. Greg Boles and Vadik Kotik will be the No. 1 doubles team.

“I don’t think we’re quite as strong as we’ve been,” Coach Ralph Stam said. “If these young guys come through in the doubles, we might have a pretty decent team, a good team.”

CHATSWORTH (WEST VALLEY LEAGUE): The Chancellors received a big boost when Ron Charles, the No. 4 singles player in the City Section last season, decided to return from Florida, where he trained at Nick Bollitieri’s camp. Charles is not an overpowering player but has a knack for keeping the ball in play.

Although he might be No. 1 on a number of other teams, Sanjy Srinivasan--undefeated in league play last year--will play second singles. Tony Joseph and 6-foot-4 Phillip Tietjan will be the top doubles team.

THOUSAND OAKS (MARMONTE LEAGUE): Ron Hedin, who replaces Tim Bednar as coach, inherits an experienced team that advanced to the Southern Section 4-A quarterfinals last year.

Junior Gary Potter won the Marmonte League title last year after now-graduated Camarillo standouts Brian Giffin and Peter Moraweicki opted to play doubles at the end of the season.

“His game is very classical. He’s very serious about it,” Hedin said.

Junior Sean McKenna will play No. 2 singles behind Potter, and Jerry Yu and Tony Carrion return as the top doubles team.

BURBANK (FOOTHILL LEAGUE): The Bulldogs, who advanced to the Southern Section quarterfinals the past two years, have been decimated by graduation.

“Our colors our blue and white but they should be green,” Coach Clyde Richards said, alluding to the lack of experience.

Richards, who has taken his team to the playoffs each of his four seasons, is counting on singles player Hyung Chun and the doubles tandem of Paul McNiff and Peter Hou.