Thousand Oaks Pointing to Playoffs

Thousand Oaks High earned a No. 2 ranking in the preseason Southern Section 4-A Division boys’ tennis poll, then lost three of its first four matches.

But panic has not accompanied the Lancers’ slow start. It is all part of Coach Ron Hedin’s game plan.

Hedin has assembled perhaps the school’s most talented team and had arranged the school’s most difficult schedule for his players.

Thousand Oaks lost nonleague matches to 4-A powers No. 3 Corona del Mar, No. 4 Dana Hills, and No. 8 University High of Irvine. And the Lancers traveled more than 300 miles--to Dana Point and Corona del Mar--for two of those losses.

“We knew we had a good team, so I wanted to play the best we could,” Hedin said. “We’ve faced some pretty tough players, but it should help us in the long run.”

Some might say that Thousand Oaks doesn’t need help.

Seven players return from a team that won 20 of 23 matches and reached the 4-A quarterfinals. This year’s team has the ability to advance even further.

Senior Gary Potter, who has played No. 1 singles for Thousand Oaks the past two seasons, was ranked 11th in Southern California 18-and-under singles by the U. S. Tennis Assn. last season and has a career record of 138-29 at Thousand Oaks.

Sean McKenna, a senior who was ranked fifth in USTA doubles with his brother Jason, plays at No. 2 singles. McKenna, ranked No. 43 in 18s, is 147-55 in singles play in high school.

Jason McKenna, a senior who teamed with senior Simaan Hawa to finish second in the Marmonte League doubles, will play with both senior Brian Kay and his brother.

“We probably have our deepest team yet,” said Hedin, who has a career record of 220-75 in 14 seasons at Thousand Oaks. “We’ve set some lofty goals.”

Other top teams in the area:

SOUTHERN SECTION

Harvard: The Saracens, who won their fourth consecutive Southern Section title last season, are ranked No. 1 in the 2-A poll despite losing two players to graduation and having just one senior in the lineup. Harvard won 2-A titles the past two seasons and 1-A titles in 1987 and 1988.

Seven players return from last year’s team, which finished 18-2 and defeated Cate, 10-8, in the 2-A title match.

Freshman Phillip Tseng and junior Jeremy Steckler are competing for the No. 1 singles position; junior Chuck Tseng and sophomore Aaron Cohen are vying for the No. 3 slot.

The doubles tandem of junior Steve Jang and sophomore Josh Litter plays at No. 1. Sophomore J. W. Hobson, who played an instrumental role in Harvard’s title run last season, combines with Cohen in the No. 2 doubles slot.

“We’ve got some talent,” said Coach Harry Salamandra, who enters his 12th season as coach.

“You never want to say that this early, but if our players stay healthy and continue to improve, we’ll definitely be a contender.”

Quartz Hill: The Rebels entered the season ranked 10th in the 2-A poll and have soundly defeated Saugus, a Golden League rival that was ranked ninth. Eight lettermen return for the Rebels.

Junior Owen Goudie, who was unbeaten and won the league singles title last season, is ranked 46th among 16-year-olds. Sophomore Kenny Park, who played doubles last season, plays at No. 2. Quartz Hill’s No. 1 doubles team is Rajeev Dandamudi and O’Reilly McMahon.

“We basically have the same guys we had last year, so I think we’ll be strong,” Coach Bill Lenaway said.

CITY SECTION

Chatsworth: The Chancellors, who were 18-1 and finished second to University in the 4-A Division last season, handed the top-ranked Warriors a 4-3 defeat two weeks ago.

“Last year, we were 14 deep,” Coach Joe Santellano said. “This year, we’re a little stronger at the top.”

Chatsworth’s lineup includes No. 1 singles player Aaron Haaz, No. 2 player Rafael Huerta, and Rudy Vargas, a transfer from Reseda. Ron Charles, a three-year starter who is ranked 52nd in 18 singles, is recovering from an injury. “Right now, I think we’re in the driver’s seat,” Santellano said.

Taft: The Toreadors are young but they are off to a 3-1 start--their only loss came against University--and are expected to give Chatsworth its toughest competition.

Junior David Goldman plays No. 1 singles, freshman Leor Hurwitz is No. 2, junior Alex Kwon is No. 3, and sophomore Jason Uslaner is No. 4.

Taft’s No. 1 doubles team is Derek Halpern and Andy Kimelman. Eric Ficksman and Robbie Polak play No. 2 doubles and the No. 3 team consists of Shai Oved and David Sobel.

“We expect a pretty good year,” Coach Marvin Jones said. “It should be a dogfight between Chatsworth and Taft.”

Kennedy: The Golden Cougars won the past two 3-A titles but only Albert Kim at No. 2 singles returns from last year’s team, which finished 22-3.

Yet Kennedy has gained junior Reese Gould, a transfer from San Diego who will play No. 1 singles and could be one of the strongest players in the area.

“After our top two guys, we’re really young,” Coach Craig Raub said.

Individuals: The region’s top individual players are Alex Lynch and Darren Potkey, both of Ventura. Lynch, a senior, is ranked 30th in USTA 18 singles. Potkey, a junior, is ranked 11th in 16 singles. Westlake’s Stefan Hura is ranked 25th in 16 singles.

Newbury Park’s Mike Bannister won the Marmonte League singles title last season and is ranked 47th among 18-year-olds.

Camarillo’s Mark Ellis, a 6-foot-3 left-hander whose serve approaches 120 m.p.h., is a senior who was ranked 56th by the USTA in 18 singles despite a late start in the sport. He first played as a freshman.

He was 52-2 last season and is ranked No. 2 in 18 doubles with Bannister.

“He has untapped potential,” Camarillo Coach Lee Talley said.