Don’t mistake it as arrogance, Servite coach Dane Jako said. The Friars are just very confident team right now, and they wanted to play Trinity League rival Mater Dei five against seven, rather than call up two players from JV to fill out Servite’s starting lineup.
That would have given the Monarchs a huge advantage and Servite no room for error.
The lowest five rounds in boys golf are figured into the final score, so Mater Der would have been able to throw out their two highest scores. The Friars wouldn’t have had that luxury.
Jako didn’t listen to his players, and he called up two players from the JV, but the five varsity regulars proved they could have indeed done it on their own.
The two JV call-ups each posted a 45. The five varsity regulars each posted a score in the 30s, and No. 1 Servite edged No. 5 Mater Dei, 185-189 at Western Hills Country Club.
“They told me, ‘Coach, this is our team. We want to do it (play with five).’ That (185) is a good score out here. I am happy,” Jako said. “They know what they needed to do. It is their home course, and they are playing well.”
Kyle Kinnane led the Friars (16-1, 4-0), birdying two holes on the front nine to post a 1-over par 36 to share medalist honors with Isaiah Aguirre, who posted a 36 for Mater Dei
Blake Hale, Jack Rahon and Dylan McCoy each added a 37 for the Friars.
“With what we had I think (185) was a good number, but we can always do better,” Kinnane said. “We knew we need to pull our own weight with one guy being gone for a couple of weeks.
Brendan Gonzalez, one of the Friars’ lowest scoring players, strained a pectoral muscle while doing pushups with his trainer, Jako said.
Jako said Gonzalez should be out for one to two weeks, and will likely sit out next week’s Trinity League finals at Yorba Linda Country Club, so he can be healthy for the final week of the season and the CIF-SS team regionals in May.
“That (missing Gonzalez),” Kinnane said, “pushes us to all shoot better.”
In other boys golf
No. 7 Northwood 179, No. 10 University 182: Derek Kim posted a 4-under-par 32 at Strawberry Farms Golf Course to lead the Trojans in the Pacific Coast League match.
Mission Viejo 192, San Juan Hills 215: Jack Newman finished with a 2-under-par 34 at Mission Viejo Country Club in the Diablos’ Sea View League victory.
No. 6 Corona del Mar 193, No. 4 Beckman 194: Clay Seeber posted a 3-under-par 33 on the back nine at Tustin Ranch Golf Course while Guy Clauss added an even-par 36 to help lead the Sea Kings to the Pacific Coast League triumph.
Los Alamitos 358, Long Beach Wilson 365: Ellis Tirado fired a 7-under-par 65 for the Griffins in the nonleague victory at Recreation Park Golf Course.
