Rio Hondo League crown belongs to La Cañada boys’ golf
Though the faces change, the winning continues for the La Cañada High boys’ golf team.
The Spartans captured their 12th consecutive Rio Hondo League title in outright fashion by defeating rival South Pasadena, 197-269, in the regular season finale Thursday afternoon at par-35 La Cañada Country Club.
The victory closed out an undefeated league run for the Spartans, who improved to 8-0 with the victory.
“It’s a pretty big accomplishment and I couldn’t have done it without such an amazing group of boys,” La Cañada Coach Nick Del Pozo said. “We ended up being like a little family. Everyone played together, everyone did their part.
“Even though we could only play with six players and we had 13, 14 on the team, everyone took on their role and came through when it counted.”
The victory was the third in as many days for the Spartans due to a rain make-up.
La Cañada defeated San Marino, 193-194, at Santa Anita Golf Course on Tuesday before getting another tight 188-199 win over the Titans on Wednesday at Brookside Golf Course.
On Thursday in La Cañada, John Hickman paced the Spartans by carding an even-par 35, while Eduardo Torres was second with a 36.
While winning may be expected at La Cañada, Del Pozo was especially pleased.
The first-year Spartans coach has spent the past six falls coaching the Pasadena Westridge School girls’ golf team and this season marks his first-ever league title.
“This is No. 1 for me and it’s sweet,” Del Pozo said. “It feels great.”
Up next for the Spartans are the Rio Hondo League individual championships and finals on Tuesday and Wednesday at La Verne’s Marshall Canyon Golf Course. Starting times for both days are 10 a.m.
The Spartans also earned advancement to the Northern Team Championships Tournament on May 12 at Ojai Soule Park Golf Course on May 12.
“In the previous years, there was [All-Area Player of the Year] Collin Morikawa and three other guys who carried the team, basically,” Del Pozo said. “Now, this is the first time this is a team win and it meant a lot more for those boys who just watched last year.”
La Cañada’s championship squad includes Matt Chi, Dylan Choi, Jason Del Fierro, Brandon Kenny, David Kim, Max Kinsel, Clark Lee, Andrew Ricci, Tyler Seto, Jay Signh, Alex St. Hippolyte and Kyle Yasuda.
