Spartans bounced from playoffs

PLACENTIA -- Less than five minutes after the La Canada High boys’

tennis team’s season concluded, Justin Kim began making plans for

next year.

Kim, who was upset after La Canada dropped a 15-3 CIF Southern

Section Division II first-round match to host El Dorado on Thursday,

made some poignant remarks.

Expected to be the team’s captain next season, Kim said he will

make sure all returning players will be on the same page with him. He

will get those promises in writing.

“I’m going to send out letters to every returning player, and they

are going to have to play a certain amount of hours during the

offseason,” said Kim, who won one of his singles sets. “It could be

through private lessons or tournaments, and they must give me the

letter on the first day of practice.

“We were horrible [Thursday] and we should all be upset.”

La Canada (7-9) competed without No. 3 singles player Anand

Muthiah and No. 2 doubles Jason Kim. La Canada Coach Will Moravec

said the duo skipped the match for personal reasons.

Jason Kim and Justin Kim -- no relation -- teamed to win a Rio

Hondo League doubles championship in 2004.

Justin Kim said the absence of Muthiah and Jason Kim hurt.

“If those two were here, I think we would have had more

confidence,” Kim said. “We were very lucky to make the playoffs.”

El Dorado (17-3) appeared sluggish during the early stages of the

match, but regained its composure to stretch its winning streak to

18.

The Golden Hawks -- ranked No. 8 in the division -- turned to

their No. 1 doubles team of King Homneyom and Dev Patel. The duo won

its two sets before El Dorado Coach John Cyrus replaced them.

Moravec, whose team lost in the first round for the second

consecutive year, said El Dorado’s doubles teams controlled the net

en route to winning eight of the nine sets.

“They volley well and control the net,” said Moravec, who led the

Spartans to a third-place finish in league behind San Marino and

Temple City. “Our guys tried to lob the ball and get them off the

net.

“Their top players were better than our top players, and their

team ranking just proves how good they are.”

Edwin Kim won a singles set for the Spartans, who also got a

doubles win from Sean Kim and Patrick Lu.

No. 1 singles player Ricky Wu swept his three sets for El Dorado,

which won the Century League crown this season.

Moravec said the season proved to be a mixed bag for La Canada.

“We beat South Pasadena to get into the playoffs,” Moravec said.

“I just feel bad that Jason and Justin couldn’t repeat as league

champions.”

* CHARLES RICH covers sports. He can be reached at (818) 637-3228

or by e-mail at charles.rich@latimes.com.