Taft Focuses on Avoiding Disaster in Tennis Final

The Taft High boys’ tennis team is preparing for its most important match, the City Section 4-A Division team championship. Yet Coach Marvin Jones has only this to say:

“I keep my fingers crossed. I try to keep a positive attitude.”

Not exactly inspirational words from a coach who annually brings his team to the postseason tournament. But with the misfortune the Toreadors seem to attract each May, Jones’ statement is appropriate.

“That’s the way I truly feel about it,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of adversity, a lot of bad luck. The kids are glad to make it to the finals. But their attitude is, ‘Don’t take anything for granted.’ ”

In two of the past four years, Taft (11-3) has been disqualified from the tournament. In 1989 Taft was caught in the first round using an ineligible player, who told school administrators he was moving to the school’s attendance area but never did.

Last year, Taft, led by No. 1 singles player Jason Weiss, reached the finals by beating Palisades. The Toreadors were kicked out of the tournament the next day because Weiss skipped school the day of the semifinals to also play a junior tournament in San Diego.

Palisades went to the final and lost to University.

This year, the Toreadors almost had the rug pulled from under them again.

Their opponent in Monday’s 2 p.m. final at the Racquet Centre in Studio City is West Valley League rival and co-champion Chatsworth. Van Nuys will face Marshall in the 3-A final, also at 2 p.m.

Taft dealt Chatsworth (11-2) both of its regular-season defeats, but Chatsworth was seeded No. 2 in the City tournament. Taft is seeded No. 3. Chatsworth waltzed in Tuesday’s semifinal round, beating University, 20 1/2-9. Taft barely escaped against top-seeded Palisades, 15-14 1/2.

However, don’t expect Jones to be talking to his players about crossed fingers and misfortune. The rivalry between Taft and Chatsworth is too heated. The last time Taft made it through the tournament without disqualification (1991), it lost to Chatsworth in the final.

“The competition has been so intense that the players have had some pretty bad arguments,” Chatsworth Coach Steve Berk said.

The two meetings between Taft and Chatsworth this year both have come down to a seventh and deciding match. Taft won both matches, 4-3, despite the fact that the Chatsworth lineup includes Rafael Huerta, defending 4-A singles champion, and doubles players Parag Vaish and Mike Seeman, who have lost one match this season--to Taft.

Taft’s strengths include No. 1 singles player in Devir Levy, and its No. 3 doubles team, David Moldavon and Ali Fatourechi, clinched the semifinal victories with a pair of upsets.

“I know one thing,” Berk said, “both teams want this real bad.”