St. Francis, Crescenta Valley High boys’ golf teams finish strong at CIF
Although the St. Francis High and Crescenta Valley boys’ golf teams weren’t able to get beyond their respective CIF Southern Section team divisionals, both squads came away pleased after earning top-10 finishes Monday.
In the Central Team Divisional at Lakewood Country Club, St. Francis posted a fourth-place finish after carding a 390. Crescenta Valley took 10th with a 413 at the Northern Team Divisional at Soule Park Golf Course in Ojai.
“We would have liked to move on, but the guys played so well and it’s a very good confidence boost,” said St. Francis Coach Kyle Ostrom, whose team took fourth in the ultra-competitive Mission League. “We didn’t have our ‘A’ game, but I liked the way they were able to grind it out.”
St. Francis received a one-over-par 73 from Michael Mozilo to lead the way. The Golden Knights also got a 74 from Tommy Altmayer, a 76 from Stian Lintvedt, a 77 from Eric Lin and a 90 from Tommy Harris.
Loyola, which won the Mission League championship, won the 19-team event with a 370. Palos Verdes took second with a 374 and Harvard-Westlake of the Mission League finished with a 378 to place third. Loyola and Palos Verdes advanced to the CIF Individual and Southern California Qualifying Tournament, which will be held Thursday at Mission Lakes Country Club in Desert Hot Springs.
Ostrom, a former All-Area Boys’ Golf Coach of the Year, said the Golden Knights held their own in the tough field.
“They made a lot of progress toward the end of the year,” Ostrom said. “It was a good environment to be in.
“The greens were pretty firm. Some of the holes were pushed back and others were moved forward.”
Crescenta Valley, which placed second in the Pacific League, received a five-over-par 77 from Cody Renfro on Monday. Trey Ballard had an 82 for the Falcons, who got 84s from AJ Roa and Tanner Schilling and an 86 from Jonghyuk Hong.
“I’m just really pleased with the way they played,” said Mark Samford, Crescenta Valley’s interim coach. “It’s a fun experience and the guys have another experience from the playoffs that they can draw from.
“I liked the way they stayed after it throughout their rounds. It’s a good way to go into next season.”
For the second straight season, Westlake and La Cañada finished first and second, respectively, to advance to Desert Hot Springs. Westlake finished with a 369 and La Cañada had a 387 to edge out Oaks Christian by a stroke.
The top four teams from the qualifier will advance to the Regional State Qualifier on May 28 at Brookside Golf Course in Pasadena.
