PREP BOYS` TENNIS: DAILY NEWS ALL-AREA TEAM AND HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SEASON : PLAYER OF THE YEAR.Byline: Compiled by Jim Inghram Staff Writer PHIL SHENG sheng (Chinese; “sage” or “saint”) In Chinese belief, a mortal who attains extraordinary or supernatural powers by self-cultivation and serves as a model for others. Confucius used the term to refer to exemplary rulers of the past. Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , Sophomore When Phil Sheng won the Southern Section Individual Tournament last month, it cemented his status as the region's top tennis player and served notice that he is among the best players in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . Sheng, just a sophomore, turned 16 less than a month ago, yet is already up to No. 4 in the 18s division in the Southern California Tennis Association rankings. And there is no reason to believe Sheng will not reach the top. ``The sky is the limit for Phil,'' Thousand Oaks coach Ron Hadlin said. ``If he continues to improve and shows the same dedication that he already has, I can't imagine how good he can be.'' MORE ON SHENG School: Thousand Oaks High Year: Sophomore Birthdate/place: May 15, 1983/Thousand Oaks Height/Weight: 6-foot-2/180 Favorite tennis player: Marat Safin of Russia Favorite food: french fries French fry n. A thin strip of potato fried in deep fat. Often used in the plural. Favorite movie: ``I'm a big `Star Wars' fan,'' he said. Favorite television show: `The Simpsons' Nickname (1) An alternate name used to identify yourself in a chat room. (2) A shortcut for identifying a recipient in an e-mail address book. : ``My teammates call me The Great Wall, because I'm Chinese,'' he said. ``I like that one.'' Notable: Beat Nick Weiss of Calabasas in three sets for section individual title . . . Speaks Chinese - the Mandarin Mandarin (măn`dərĭn) [Port. mandar=to govern, or from Malay mantri=counselor of state], a high official of imperial China. For each of the nine grades there was a different colored button worn on the dress cap. dialect dialect, variety of a language used by a group of speakers within a particular speech community. Every individual speaks a variety of his language, termed an idiolect. . . . Will play in the Southern California sectionals in Fountain Valley Fountain Valley, city (1990 pop. 53,691), Orange co., S Calif.; inc. 1957. Chiefly residential, Fountain Valley also has diverse manufactures, including apparel, computer equipment, semiconductors, and medical equipment. A U.S. navy helicopter facility is there. later this month. DOUBLES TEAM OF THE YEAR ANDREW LIEU LIEU, place. In lieu of, instead, in the place of. AND WILLIE MULLIN Thousand Oaks freshman Andrew Lieu and senior Willie Mullin didn't come together until just before the Marmonte League The Marmonte League is a high school sports league primarily made up of schools from Ventura County. The Marmonte Leauge is part of the CIF Southern Section. Click here to view the league schedule. finals. They were seeded fourth and likely would have been happy reaching the final match. Instead, the duo did much more. Playing with an uncanny chemistry that developed instantly, Lieu and Mullin charged through the league for the individual doubles title, then continued their success into the Southern Section tournament. The pair, seeded fourth, easily won their first and second round matches and advanced through the round of 16 and quarterfinals before losing to the eventual champions fro Peninsula in the semifinals. ``We complemented each other well,'' Mullin said. ``We seemed to know what each other was doing without having to say anything.'' ALL-AREA SINGLES Nick Weiss Calabasas, Jr. Attended a Florida tennis academy for a year but came back to be a regular high school student. Weiss made it to the Southern Section Individual finals before losing to Sheng in three sets. He and Alex Menachini form an imposing one-two singles punch for the Coyotes. Prakash Armritraj Harvard-Westlake, Soph. Armritraj's elegant style and graceful manner on the court might create the illusion that his game is not top-notch, but his opponents will tell you that the sophomore is one of the best around. The son of former touring professional, Vijay Armritraj, Prakash doesn't overwhelm o·ver·whelm tr.v. o·ver·whelmed, o·ver·whelm·ing, o·ver·whelms 1. To surge over and submerge; engulf: waves overwhelming the rocky shoreline. 2. a. with his power but has deadly accuracy and is mentally strong. ALL-AREA DOUBLES Braden Aftergood and Trevor Hindon Calabasas Jrs. Made it to the round of 16 in the Southern Section Individual tournament. The duo, along with Weiss and Menachini, should make the Coyotes one of the region's strongest teams next year. Brian Mintz and Brad Steinberg Granada Hills Jr. and Fr. Mintz and Steinberg helped the Highlanders reach the City Section Championship and then went on a run that ended in the doubles championship of the City Section Individual tournament, where they lost to eventual champions Blake Baumgarten and Peter Shirley of Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). . HONORABLE MENTION SINGLES Quinn Borchard, Rio Mesa, Jr.; Joey Edelberg, Oak Park, Sr.; Jesse Ferlianto, Hart, Fr.; David Frankel David Frankel (born April 2, 1959, New York City, New York) is an American director, screenwriter, executive producer. He is the son of Max Frankel, former executive editor and later columnist for the New York Times. , Harvard-Westlake, Jr.; Matt Jones, El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
DOUBLES Todd Castagna and Andrew Davidson, Hart, Srs.; Steven Choi Steven Seokho Choi (born January 15 1944) is a U.S. Republican Party politician from California. He is one of two Korean Americans on the Irvine City Council and the first Asian American to have been elected to a four-year term on the council. and Burton Newman, El Camino Real, Sophs.; Carlos Gil and Mike Smith, Crespi, Sr. and Jr.; Aron Gortman and Allan Haldeman, Harvard-Westlake, Jrs.; Mike Horak and Billy Corso, Westlake, Jrs.; Jason and Taylor Phillips, Palmdale, Jrs. Biggest disappointment Westlake: It might be a little harsh to call a team that went 21-1 a disappointment, but there is little doubt the Warriors were frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: when they came up short for the third consecutive year in a section final. The previous two years the team went undefeated in the regular season and the playoffs and came up empty in the final. This year, it had one loss until the end, against Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. . The team has an aggregate record of 63-4 and three championship appearances in its last three seasons, but no title. ``It's definitely tough,'' said sophomore teeam's double player Matt Pardee. ``We will just have to try and get back (to the final) next year.'' The team loses a few key players, including No. 1 singles player Erik Janson, but Alex Yaftali and Narbe Zohrabi are back, as well as most of the doubles players. ``We have some good freshmen coming in, too,'' said coach Bernard Kuai. ``We'll be OK.'' Biggest surprise Granada Hills: In 1998 the Highlanders went 12-3 overall and 8-2 in league. It was a solid finish for a good team, but it was one filled with seniors. Any way coach Ron Wood Ronald David "Ronnie" Wood (born June 1, 1947 in Hillingdon, London) is an English rock guitarist and bassist best known as a member of The Rolling Stones, Faces, and The Jeff Beck Group. looked at it, the 1999 season was going to be a rebuilding one. He did have Lee Weinstein, his No. 1singles player back, and the No. 1 doubles team of Anand Murthy and Dan Lim. ``It was virtually a new team,'' Wood said. ``We had a lot of work to do.'' Newcomers like Brad Steinberg and Vlad Kinevsky and part-time players from the year before like Brian Mintz and Dustin Sorotsky helped the Highlanders start and finish fast. The team won its first 10 matches before losing to league rival El Camino Real. The Highlanders made up for that loss by downing the Conquistadores in the City Section semifinals. In the championship match, however, the Highlanders met the same fate many Valley teams have suffered in the '90s - losing to Palisades. The Dolphins downed Granada Hills 20 1/2 - 9, but the loss did little to tarnish tarnish, n 1. surface discoloration or loss of luster by metals. Under oral conditions, it often results from hard and soft deposits. 2. a chemical process by which a metal surface is discolored or its luster destroyed. the Highlanders' remarkable 14-2 season. Agoura: The Chargers finished third in the Marmonte League but advanced to the Division III
Division III (or DIII) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States. semifinals before losing to eventual champion Beverly HIlls. Three for all Harvard-Westlake's favorite number in 1999? Three. Mainly because the Wolverines captured their third consecutive section title. The first two were in Division III. This one was in Division II. Harvard-Westlake beat University of Irvine 10-8. It took three consecutive singles victories from Prakash Armritraj, David Franekl and Andrew Rosenfeld at the end of the match to do the trick. Politically inclined Harvard Westlake junior doubles player Allan Haldeman is the grandson of the late H.R. Haldeman, a member of President Richard Nixon's cabinet. Haldeman served prison time as a key figure in the Watergate scandal Watergate scandal (1972–74) Political scandal involving illegal activities by Pres. Richard Nixon's administration. In June 1972 five burglars were arrested after breaking into the Democratic Party's national headquarters at the Watergate Hotel complex in Washington, . Should he stay or should he go? El Camino Real coach Phil Yanov lead the Conquistadores to the semifinals in the City Section's team playoffs. At the time it appeared it was his last game, but now it's likely Yanov will be back. He is retiring from teaching, but Yanov said he is 80 percent certain he will return. ``I know the kids and the kids know me,'' Yanov said. ``It's a great situation at El Camino and I don't want to dive head first into retirement. I love doing it (coaching), the kids keep me young.'' Biggest Serves These players can really bring it and pick up aces in large quantities. 1. Phil Sheng (Thousand Oaks) 2. Nicholas Weiss (Calabasas) 3. Erik Janson (Westlake) Up & comers Four freshmen who made an impact this year (in alphabetical order) 1. Steven Armritraj (Crespi) 2. Aaron Bert (Westlake) 3. Jesse Ferlianto (Hart, transfering to Harvard-Westlake) 4. Billy Hoang (Chaminade) By the Numbers 12 - Number of years, consecutively, that Burbank has captured the Foothill League title. 4 - Phil Sheng's ranking in the Southern California Tennis Association's 18s division. Sheng just turned 16 on May 15. 3 - Number of times Westlake has made it to a championship match, consecutively. And the same number the Warriors have lost. 1 - Seniors among the top three singles players and top three doubles teams. (Willie Mullin of Thousand Oaks). 1 - Number of titles won by teams from the region. Harvard-Westlake in Division III. A look ahead Early glance at next year's top teams: City Section 1. Granada Hills 2. El Camino Real 3. Taft 4. Van Nuys Southern Section 1. Harvard-Westlake 2. Thousand Oaks 3. Westlake 4. Calabasas CAPTION(S): 11 Photos PHOTO (1) SHENG Evan Yee/Daily News (2) LIEU & MULLIN Evan Yee/Daily News (3) Granada Hills' Brad Steinberg Andy Holzman/Daily News (4) WEINSTEIN Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News (5) FRANKEL David Sprague/Daily News (6) Nick Weiss (7) Prakash Armritraj (8) Braden Aftergood (9) Trevor Hindon (10) Brian Mintz (11) Brad Steinberg |
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