Mustangs headed to the postseason

SANTA ANA --- Costa Mesa High boys’ tennis Coach Ryan Broccolo likes to use a quote from Mark Twain, modified just a bit, to describe this year’s Mustangs squad.

“It’s not the size of the Mustang in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the Mustang,” said Broccolo, in his first year coaching the team with his wife Meg.

That slogan seems to fit Costa Mesa well. In Thursday’s final Orange Coast League match at Saddleback, eight of the 11 players in the lineup were freshmen for the Mustangs.

They have done remarkable things this season. Two years ago, Costa Mesa didn’t even field a boys’ tennis team. Last year, the Mustangs didn’t win a match.

Now, the team is headed to the CIF Southern Section playoffs for the first time in six years.

Mesa clinched outright second place in league with its 15-3 win over Saddleback, and will compete in the Division 5 playoffs in two weeks. The last time that Costa Mesa finished second in the league and made the playoffs was 2011, Orange Coast League scorekeeper Frank Aronoff confirmed.

“I feel great, because I didn’t think we were going to make it this far,” said Costa Mesa freshman Hritik Ronvelia, one of two team captains along with fellow freshman Nathan Trieu. “Making it to CIF, that’s crazy.”

Ronvelia, Trieu and senior Nick Warner all easily swept in singles Thursday for Costa Mesa (5-5, 5-3 in league). All three players won twice on the court, as Saddleback (0-8 in league) forfeited the No. 3 singles spot.

That worked out for Warner, who left the match early to play for Mesa’s boys’ volleyball team against Estancia on Thursday night. Warner is a team captain in volleyball.

The roster is a bit of a hodgepodge of players. Many of the other players on the tennis team are relative newbies to tennis, Broccolo said, and have long played other sports. Ronvelia said he played soccer and basketball before coming back to tennis in seventh grade. But, no matter their relative level of experience, the youngsters have come a long way.

The Costa Mesa doubles teams of sophomore Jose Ramirez and freshman Gavin Trueblood, as well as freshmen Joel Ramos and Ernie Reynoso, each won twice against Saddleback. Sophomore Jeremy Estrada and freshman Victor Tran won once before they were subbed out for freshmen Antonio Mondragon and Devon Rogan, who also won.

Julian Reynoso and Johnson Vu swept, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0, at No. 1 doubles for the Roadrunners. Saddleback Coach Miguel Chio said he is trying to get them to CIF Individuals in doubles, since Laguna Beach has such good singles players.

But Reynoso and Vu’s set wins were the only ones for Saddleback, which couldn’t compete with the Mustangs’ young talent.

“I keep telling them, ‘Every match you’re the underdog,’” Ryan Broccolo said. “I think they’ve exceeded expectations. It’s been great, once you get rolling and get some confidence. They’re excited. Just to be able to say you’re in the postseason, you’re in the big dance, it’s great.

“You have to go into every match thinking that you have a chance. Even if you just started playing three months ago, if you think you can win, you can do it. If you already think they’re better than you and you’re going to lose, you’ve already lost the match before you walked on the court.”

The Mustangs did not come close to league champion Laguna Beach in two league meetings, but won three of four close matches against Estancia and Godinez to earn the second-place spot in league and automatic CIF berth. Costa Mesa beat the rival Eagles twice and also beat Godinez, 11-7, on Tuesday.

The Broccolos have been preaching positive energy. On Thursday, Ryan held a clipboard where he marked down each showing of positive energy from each player.

“We’re keeping track of all the high-fives, the fist pumps,” he said.

The Mustangs have plenty of reason to be pumped with the season they’re having.

Orange Coast League singles and doubles finals begin Wednesday at Saddleback.

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Twitter: @mjszabo