La Cañada High boys’ golf captures Burbank Invitational again

BURBANK — With a tremendous amount of depth throughout the La Cañada High boys’ golf team’s lineup, it’s no coincidence the Spartans have been on quite a streak lately.

It showed again Wednesday, when La Cañada, along with four other area schools, were among 21 squads to flock to De Bell Golf Club to participate in the 50th rendition of the Burbank Invitational.

La Cañada’s depth proved to be the prevailing factor again, as it shot a 290 to capture the event by 14 strokes over Mira Costa.

PHOTOS: Burbank Invitational at De Bell Golf Club

Senior Joshua Suh paced La Cañada with a two-under-par 69 to share medalist honors with Mira Costa’s CJ Coleman. Suh, a reigning All-Area honoree, won the ‘A’ Flight competition in a card-off, as he and Coleman recorded a par and triple-bogey, respectively, on the par-five eighth hole.

“We do have a lot of depth and high expectations,” said Suh, who finished with four birdies after he previously helped La Cañada win the Glendora and Oak Park invitationals. “It’s definitely a great team that we have, but we know we have to keep working on things.

“I was able to keep most of my shots in the fairways to put me in position to attack the pins. I used a lot of irons and wedges and didn’t make many mistakes. You have to take advantage of your shots. That’s golf.”

Following Mira Costa’s second-place finish of 304, La Cañada’s second team registered a third-place finish of 306 to further highlight the Spartans’ depth.

“It’s always something that’s good to have,” La Cañada first-year Coach Rich Wheeler said. “They are also going out there and putting in the work and you can see it by the way they are performing.

“To get first and third is something and we’ll take it.”

The Spartans’ first team received a 70 from Collin Morikawa, the reigning All-Area Boys’ Golfer of the Year, a 75 from Adam Horne and a 76 from Robby Stehlin to win the tournament for the second season in a row. Morikawa took third in the ‘A’ Flight. Eduardo Torres carded a 75 to spark La Cañada’s second team.

Burroughs’ top team finished sixth with a 315 to provide the Indians, who co-hosted the tournament with Burbank, a confidence boost.

The Indians received a 74 from Louis D’Aquila, who took third in the ‘B’ Flight competition on the narrow course.

D’Aquila, a freshman, said he relied on chipping to aid his game.

“It seemed to work best for me,” D’Aquila said. “It led to me being able to make a lot of five-foot shots for par.

“You play in a tournament like this and it’s helpful. You see what you need to work on, but you feel like you can do it well.”

Burroughs’ first team also included Daniel Kesicbasian (77), Patrick Colbert (82) and Losakul Sivakorn (82).

Crescenta Valley, a multiple winner in the tournament’s history, placed seventh with a 323 after reaching the course just before tee-off began in the shotgun formation.

Cody Renfro, a junior, led the Falcons with a 76.

The Falcons also got 81s from Paul Park, a reigning All-Area selection, and Brandon Cho and an 85 from AJ Roa.

“We showed up just in time and had no warm-ups,” Crescenta Valley second-year Coach Lee Pope said. “We had a couple of guys who did well, including Cody.

“We think this can set us up nicely for the rest of Pacific League.”

An improved Glendale squad, under the direction of coach Anthony Mohr, took 12th overall with a 349. The Nitros were led by sophomore Russell Caletena, who notched a 75.

“I’ve been working on my swing and trying to improve my short game,” Caletena said. “It’s a good way to practice those things in this tournament.

“I kept the ball in play on a course that’s got a lot of hazards. I wanted to play things safe.”

Glendale received an 89 from Sammy Do, a 91 from Dong Yoo and 94 from Kent Asano.

Though Burbank took 15th with a 356, it did see junior Dylan Sherry shoot an 82 to finish third in the ‘C’ Flight bracket.

Making his inaugural appearance in the event, Sherry said he wasn’t nervous.

“If anything, you see how you can measure up against some of the top players,” Sherry said. “I thought I went out there and did pretty good and I like where my game is at right now.”

Burbank got an 87 from Jason Apinchapong, a 93 from Joe Grasse and a 94 from John Grasse.

Burroughs and Crescenta Valley’s second team finished 18th and 20th, respectively. The Indians had a 360 and the Falcons finished with a 377.

Ricky Garcia of Santa Monica won the ‘B’ Flight with a 72 and Aidan Curtin of Redondo Union had a 79 to take the ‘C’ Flight.

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Follow Charles Rich on Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich.