| | Published May 10th, 2023
| Campo wins DAL golf followed closely by Acalanes and Miramonte; NCS Tourney to come
| | | By Jon Kingdon |  | | Campolindo golf team, from left, top row:? Cooper Chang, Ben Marston,Dylan Breznikar, Justin Rodriguez, Barrett Dellamar, James Giordani, Charlie Lopez, Tavish Wells, Chris Blair, John Banister; bottom row:? Gary O'Neill, Leo McDonough, Brody Reed, Jacob Chun, Tim Daugherty, Peter Appleton, Luke Martinez, Tyler Schmidt Photo courtesy Gary O'Neill |
It's been another successful season for Lamorinda golf. By winning the Diablo Athletic League Tournament at the Rancho Solano Golf Course, Campolindo (381) earned the automatic bid to the North Coast Sectional Tournament; Acalanes finished in second (395) and Miramonte (398) in third. Acalanes and Miramonte have applied and anticipate playing in the NCS at Rohnert Park. The NorCal tournament will be held at the Berkeley Country Club and the state tournament in Southern California.
As with all the sports, the weather was more than a little distraction for the golf teams. Even on a day when it was not raining, Campolindo and Acalanes had their favorite tournament of the year, the Wildcat Invitational at the Meadow Club in Fairfield, canceled because the course was simply too wet to play on. It was a different story for Miramonte that day. "We played Aiello Tournament Discovery Bay, and it was a gorgeous day with blue skies," head coach Jack Schram said. "When we got out there, we heard that they had canceled the Wildcat tournament. It's been one wet and cold season all the way up to May. You wouldn't think that everybody would be bundled up at the DAL tournament at Rancho Solano as it was fairly cold up there."
Campolindo
In describing this year's team, head coach Gary O'Neil had to look to the past. "This team is up there with the top teams at Campolindo in recent memory," O'Neill said. "We'll see if they can match the 2016 and 2018 teams that went to the NorCal Tournament that were led by Ryan Burnett (an All-American at the University of North Carolina, now in his fifth year)."
Justin Rodriguez had the low score in the DAL with a one under par 71 followed by Tim Daugherty-75, freshman Leo McDonough-77, Dylan Breznikar-79, and Barrett Dellamar-79. The sixth player for Campolindo was Luke Martinez who shot an 83. James Giordani, also a football player for Campolindo was injured and Martinez played in his place.
Campolindo will be losing five players to graduation, Rodriguez, Breznikar, Barrett Dellamar, Ben Marsten and Charlie Lopez. "I'm looking forward to the number of underclassmen we have returning," O'Neill said. "We've had a very congenial group that loved to play and trade quips on the range. In fact, Lamorinda golf is comprised of a lot of very nice young men and women. I'm very impressed with the players that I get to meet and watch in action."
Acalanes
For co-head coaches Cass Mulholland and Ken Lorge, it was a solid year from the start. "We have a stellar squad this year and we were able to run a consistent seven players for the six spots in each match and they all came through," Mulholland said.
At the DAL tournament, the Dons were led by three juniors. "Jackson Jones shot a career best 73, finished in second and we really needed him," Mulholland said. "Chase Regan and Nate Lyons both shot 79s and seniors Spencer and Jackson Voogt also played well. Junior Gus McKinney also had a great year."
The players brought great attitudes to the team. "The kids completely dedicated themselves to the game and worked hard in honing their craft and a number of them will be playing after high school," Mulholland said. "They all got along and enjoyed playing well together."
Miramonte
Miramonte had a larger than normal size roster. "Even with 17 players, they all got to play in various matches and tournaments," head coach Jack Schram said. "It was a good year and a lot of fun. I believe we're a lock to get into the NCS. Last year we finished in second and hopefully this year we can do a little better."
The Matadors were led by senior Marcus Erickson, a four-year player who shot a 76, finishing fourth at the DAL tournament. Juniors Dylan Tung shot a 78, Bowen Sande-80, Grant Barmmer-82, John Dunne-82, and sophomore Archer Eames-76 The team was shorthanded having lost Andrew Harrick to a wrist injury after spring break.
Even as the NCS tournament is coming up, Schram is optimistic about next season's team with eight of his nine top golfers returning next year. |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA