New year underway for tennis teams
Cibola boys headline 2017, looking to return to state for 4th straight year
The 2017 tennis season gets underway today for Cibola’s boys/girls, Gila Ridge’s boys/girls, Yuma High’s boys/girls and San Luis’ girls.
Among the local storylines this year are Cibola’s boys team (now in 6A) looking to get back to state for the fourth consecutive year, and Gila Ridge’s girls team looking to get back to state for the third consecutive year. Also, Yuma Catholic has a team for the first time.
Below is a brief look at some of the area’s teams:
(Note: Gila Ridge, Antelope and Yuma Catholic’s coaches were not reachable)
Cibola Raiders Division I Section I
• Coaches: Duncan Phillips (boys), Becky Anderson (girls)
• Boys opener: Today at Gila Ridge
• Girls opener: Today vs. Gila Ridge
• Boys lowdown: A year ago, Cibola went undefeated (13-0) in the regular season for the first time in program history. Back from that lineup are reigning Yuma Sun/Yuma Rotary Club Player of the Year Beau Boyer (now a senior), sophomore Tawanda Zvavamwe, senior Johnny Durazo and junior Brandon Salinas. As of Mon- day, the top three spots — Boyer at No. 1, Zvavamwe at No. 2, Durazo at No. 3 — were set, according to Phillips, with No. 4-6 still up in the air. Among those being considered were Salinas, sophomore Jacob Gonzalez, senior Marcos Taggaban, sophomore Michael Harris and sophomore Jan Fortunheo.
“Our goal is the state tournament, period,” Phillips said. “That’s been our goal for the past 16 years.”
Phillips is particularly excited about Boyer’s potential this year, saying he is “far better” than he was last year, when he posted a 21-1 singles record and won a Crim Smash title.
“He’s hitting volleys better, his serve is better and his slice backhand is better,” Phillips said. “Those three things have really improved. And his forehand has always been good.”
The Raiders have qualified for state each of the past three years, going oneand-done in each of those appearances.
Kofa Kings Division I Section I
• Coaches: Thomas Duggan (boys), Allen Grimes (girls)
• Boys opener: March 2
at Yuma High
• Girls opener: March 2 vs. Yuma High
• Boys lowdown: The Kings return just two of their top six from a year ago, though each of their current top six were in the program last year. Duggan said junior No. 1 David Lara is the team’s top player to watch. Also among the top six are juniors Hiram Jacobo and Derek Wolff, and seniors Austin Ross and Andres Smart.
“As usual, our depth at spots 3-6 will be our biggest advantage, and we’ll be counting on those spots in order to be competitive,” Duggan said.
• Girls lowdown: The Kings are in a “development year,” according to Grimes, who cited that four of the team’s top six players picked up a racquet for the first time last year. The top two players, No. 1 Nataly Prieto and No. 2 Valeria Anguiano, were junior varsity players a year ago who have improved dramatically since then. Other players to watch include junior twins Kelsey and Maesy Ramirez, third-year varsity players.
“Despite our inexperi- ence, I am very excited about the upcoming season,” Grimes said. “If our new players can handle the pressure of carrying the team on their shoulders, they could make an impact right away.”
San Luis Sidewinders Division I Section I
• Coaches: Gary Stevens (boys), Ian McDougall (girls)
• Boys opener: Yesterday at Southwest (CA)
• Girls opener: Today vs. Yuma High
• Boys lowdown: The Sidewinders return five of their top six from last year, when they went 10-4 overall and finished second in Division II Section I (behind only Cibola). The top three players to watch are senior No. 1 Joel Arizmendi (a reigning all-region selections), senior No. 2 Jose Galindo (also a reigning all-region selection) and senior No. 3 Jesus Lopez.
“We really only have one goal, which is to bring the section title back to San Luis and secure a spot in the state playoffs, stopping Cibola’s streak at the top,” Stevens said.
San Luis last qualified for state in 2011.
• Girls lowdown: The Sidewinders have a brandnew top six, including two players who are in their first year of playing tennis. Alexandra Martinez and Alexa Villalpando are the team’s top two players, according to McDougall.
“This year is a complete rebuild and we are going to focus on winning individual points and games and not worry about sets and matches,” McDougall said. “We are going to keep a positive attitude and work on being a little bit better every day.”
Yuma High Criminals Division II Section III
• Coach: Michael Moreno
• Boys opener: Today vs. San Luis
• Girls opener: Today at San Luis
• Girls lowdown: Fourth-year varsity players Maggie and McKaila Sing Kaila are at the top of the Criminals’ lineup, followed by two seniors with some varsity experience in Harley Hughes and Celestina Jaure. Rounding out the top six are sophomore Jacqueline Gonzalez and junior Jennifer Sesma.
“Expectations for the season would be to be competitive in our sections and to have a good showing at individual state and hopefully make team state,” Moreno said.