IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers GO GET IT—Simi Valley High's top singles player, David Phan, races to get his racquet on the ball. There isn't much doubt that the Thousand Oaks High boys' tennis team is the favorite to win the Marmonte League title. How TOHS goes about accomplishing that feat, however, remains a bit of a mystery.

The Lancers' lineup is strong, but, like last season, head coach Dave Assorson won't be able to utilize his top talent all the time.

Thousand Oaks' three singles players—Kyle McMorrow, Marcos Giron and Denis Lin— often have to miss league matches to compete in United States Tennis Association tournaments.

But no matter who's on the court for TOHS, Assorson remains confident.

"Who we have in our lineup is determined by the USTA schedule, and I just hope the tournaments don't fall on the same days as our games too often," Assorson said.

"The whole thing doesn't bother me that much though; I know the boys are doing their very best to show up at all our games. I also understand they have to keep up their rankings."

Although TOHS will have to juggle its lineup, other Marmonte squads remain envious.

"We have some tournament players but nothing like what Thousand Oaks has, darn it," Simi Valley head coach Rob Wickwire said with a chuckle.

"We don't have the problem that TOHS has with players missing games, but if Assorson wants to trade scenarios, I'll gladly do it."

Westlake head coach Connie Flanderka said the Lancers' expectations should be sky high.

"They are just loaded," Flanderka said. "They'll be tough for anyone in league, even if they are missing players. At full strength, not only can they win league, but they can also win a CIF title."

McMorrow, Giron and Lin are hardly the Lancers' only weapons. TOHS also has the reigning league MVP, Alex Johnson, who plays doubles with junior Tyler Bridges.

Other Thousand Oaks stars include Matt Skwaruzynski, Brendon Josephson, Greg Wise, Ben Loon and Michael Kunisaki.

Although Thousand Oaks is the favorite, don't count Calabasas out.

The Coyotes went 14-0 in the Marmonte last year and return the majority of their squad, including the entire singles team of Josh Gartman, Will Sokurski and Jake De Golish.

The doubles players at CHS aren't too shabby, either. Shaya Nayerhabibi will partner with Amir Ahmadi, who, according to head coach Cleo Harper, has finally found his true calling.

"Ahmadi has found his own in doubles," Harper said. "A lot of high school doubles players always believe that they are still singles players at heart. Not Ahmadi. He knows his role, and he's proving to be great at it."

Cyrus Rais, Joshua Guss, Matthew Schwartz, Brett Buford, Jose Abraham and Brett Ploussard will also spend time between the second and third doubles squads.

Newbury Park, which finished fourth a year ago, returns all of its singles players.

Head coach Brad Nelson calls this squad the best he's ever had in his 12 years at NPHS. Flanderka also said the Panthers are for real.

"I believe people are underestimating Newbury Park," the Westlake coach said. "You can't discount them by any means, because they have three tough singles players and a doubles squad that will be pretty competitive."

The top singles' players for Newbury Park are sophomores William Duncan and David Yoo, along with senior Sean Huxley.

Nelson believes Huxley, a second-team all-league selection with Duncan a year ago, has improved his game tremendously.

"Huxley has had some back problems in the past, but he's finally healthy, and it's shown in the way he's played," Nelson said.

Senior captain Kris Leslie and sophomore Austin Hymes will play significant roles for the Panthers' doubles. Justin and Dylan Sauer, along with Nick Sweetman, Hans Gao, Tej Patel and Dennis Gahm, will also see doubles action.

Simi Valley just missed the postseason a year ago.

The Pioneers are young—their singles consist of sophomore Goutam Krish and two freshmen, David Phan and Nathan Shirley. Wickwire, the coach, has been elated with Krish's improvement.

"He's really worked on his speed over the offseason," Wickwire said. "He's just been deadly with his lobs."

The Pioneers' top doubles team, Joe Agustin playing with Sid Jairam, won nine of its first 12 matches.

Seniors Shouta Kuroda and Kent Hagen, junior Christian Nersesyan, sophomore Nick Lee and freshmen Abhinav Rana and Shauyon Bakhitminoo will also contribute to the doubles teams at Simi Valley.

Westlake should be in the hunt for a title, but a lot hinges on the return of junior Zach Drost, the Warriors' top singles player.

Drost is out at least a few weeks with an injury, and his return this season remains questionable.

While Drost is out, freshman Mitch Kremf moves into the No. 1 singles spot. Juniors Tate Nelson and Josh Lefkovitch will also contribute in singles.

The doubles for Westlake consist of senior co-captain Ernesto Santiago playing with sophomore Richie Greentree, junior Clyde Lee playing with sophomore Kyle Berman, and freshmen Harrison Han and Brian Ho teaming up.

Agoura will likely see a decrease in its six league wins from a year ago due to the departure of its two top singles' players— Darren Dahl and Daniel Kane— who both decided to focus strictly on their club teams this season.

Despite the losses, Charger head coach Geoff Oliveros likes his squad's chances.

"Our top nine that come out to play may not be the most talented players in the league, but I guarantee you they are the nine hardest workers in the league," Oliveros said.

Trying to fill in the gap at singles will be juniors Patrick McDonald and David Bloom, along with sophomore Jordan Riessen.

Seniors Zachery Richstein and Adam Simon lead the Agoura doubles. Junior Nikhil Bikhchanda, sophomore David Gantz and senior Siarash Peidaysaheli are also in the mix.

Moorpark and Royal continue to rebuild their programs.

MHS head coach Michael Spoehr has been pleased with his singles players—seniors Alek Shoemaker, Bob Curtain and Daniel Do—who the coach has given the moniker, "The Three Musketeers."

The MHS doubles are led by sophomores Bryce Platz, Jesse Burn and Will Chen, along with freshman Tim Yurovski.

"I'd like to see more players take private lessons, but I understand there is a money issue there," Spoehr said.

"Aside from that, this is a great group of kids that interact well with each other. I just want them to have fun, and any wins that come with it would be a bonus."

Royal head coach Roger Hixon didn't return multiple phone calls prior to deadline.