It takes more than one player going low for a boys golf team to have success. Consistency throughout the lineup is key, and right now Dana Hills might be the best from No.1 to No. 6.
On Wednesday at El Niguel Country Club, six Dolphins broke 40 in No. 3 Dana Hills 191-199 nonleague victory against No. 8 JSerra, the Lions first loss of the season.
This was the first time in the 11-year history of the boys golf program at JSerra that the Lions won their first six matches.
Tanner Podres medaled for the second time this season, shooting a 1-over-par 37 to lead the Dolphins (5-1). Clay Feagler and Matt Fry each posted a 38 for Dana Hills while Matt O’Leary, Alex Diaz and Mason Bowen came in with a 39. Fry drained a 35-foot putt to eagle the 489-yard, par-5 No. 6
“These guys have been working really hard. The depth is really helping us, and we have been having some success at tournaments,” Dana Hill coach Glenn Foster said.
The Dolphins swept the top three positions and set a record in winning the Wolverine Golf Tournament, a scramble which uses two-player teams.
“The kids are having a lot of fun. We have been talking about it since last year, getting focused,” Foster said. “This is a chance for us to do really well.”
Experience was behind the Lions’ best start in school history, JSerra coach Brian Schippel said. The Lions returned six of the eight players who teed off on Wednesday, making this the best team that Schippel has had in the 10 years he has been at the school.
Three of the five Lions who figured into the final score finished in the 30s at El Niguel CC. Blake Gaarenstroom led the Lions with a 38 while Spencer Allen and Jack Lutz added a pair of 39s.
Twice so far this spring, the Lions (6-1) have shot in the 180s, and on Tuesday, JSerra posted a 12-stroke victory against Mater Dei, a CIF State Championship qualifier last season.
The goal this season for the Lions is winning the school’s first Trinity League golf championship.
“We legitimately do have a shot (to win the championship), and that is the fun part. The camaraderie is a little bit better, and that translates over onto the golf course,” Schippel said. “I think that (the Lions’ 6-0 start) made us a little bit more of a team. The individual score doesn’t matter as much as how we do as a team. As a coach, that is fun to see when the kids start to come together as a team.”
