It was a solid performance by the Xavier Prep boys’ golf team in the CIF-SS Division 3 championship Tuesday. But it wasn’t quite good enough to keep the Saints’ season alive.
The Saints tied for third in Division 2 with a team score of 27-over 387 at El Dorado Park Golf Course in Long Beach. That put the Saints just four shots behind division winner La Canada’s 383, three shots behind second-place Arcadia and tied with San Juan Hills of San Juan Capistrano.
But when the CIF-SS came out with its list of 14 teams advancing to the team qualifier for the SCGA high school championship, the Saints found themselves on the outside looking in after a season that saw the team win the Desert Empire League title.
“The scores in the afternoon were higher. The conditions were a little tougher,” said Dave Menke, head coach of the Saints. “I knew it would be tough for the Division 2 teams to get through.”
Through a combination of divisional results and a season-long team handicap, Xavier Prep was not one of the 14 teams to take the next step to a potential berth in the state CIF championship. At least 10 of those 14 teams must come from the 22 teams in Division 1. As it turned out, 13 teams came from Division 1, so even La Canada does not get to advance despite the Division 2 victory. Cream Lutheran of Irvine won Division 3 and did advance to the team qualifier.
The Saints began the afternoon shotgun start on the 11th hole of El Dorado Park and immediately struggled, falling well behind the leaders. But as the team moved on, the team played better and Menke believed the team had a chance to win.
“Those first few holes were tough. But I kept telling the team to keep playing, not give up,” Menke said. And we did get better. Those last few holes, there was some excitement. I think get got to within two shots at one point.”
Leading the way for Xavier Tuesday was sophomore Christian Starke with a 3-over 75 that included three birdies, all on par-5s, and four bogeys, Junior Sergio Romo fired a 76, while junior Ayden Rosales shot 77, junior Joe Mejia shot 79 and sophomore Charlie Menke and junior Sterling Conley both shot 80 in the six-play, five-count format.
“It was a good season. We won the league, we moved up to Division 2 (from Division 3 last year) and we played well in the division,” Menke said. “It was a good year. We didn’t get to keep playing, but it is what it is.”
The CIF team qualifier for the SCGA tournament as well as the CIF-SS individual finals will be played Thursday at River Ridge Country Club in Oxnard. Rosales is the only desert golfer in that field, having qualifier in an individual preliminary qualifier earlier this month in Victorville.
In the Division 6 team event played Monday at Bear Valley Country Club in Victorville, the Yucca Valley Trojans finished seventh with a team score of 434, 22 shots behind division winner Webb High School of Claremont. The Trojans, the champions of the Desert Valley League, were led by senior Ben Carlton’s 8-over 80, followed by junior Blake Morrison’s 85. Chris Tyerman shot 87, Gavin Roby shot 88 and Carter Cox and Tajvir Ladhar each shot.
No team from Division 6 had a chance of making the CIF-SS team qualifying event.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Xavier boys golf season ends despite strong third-place finish in Division 2
Reporting by Larry Bohannan, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
