Granada Hills Wins Behind Group Effort

Granada Hills High won the City Section Championship in boys’ golf Thursday, posting a two-day score of 789, at Wilson Golf Course in Griffith Park.

The Highlanders held off Hamilton (795) and defending champion Palisades (799).

Granada Hills trailed Chatsworth by a stroke, 384 to 385, after Wednesday’s first round at Harding but had three of six players shoot in the 70s on the longer Wilson course.

“We all felt we should have been ahead yesterday, but we were still right there,” said junior John Terceman, who shot a personal-low 75 Wednesday and added an 87. “We all needed to come through today, not just two or three of us, but all of us. What won it was our depth.”

Junior Phil Martinez and senior Steve Harsha each shot 153 and tied for seventh individually. Harsha shot a final-round 77, as did senior co-captain Mike Ross, who shot 157.

Sophomores Robbie Minovitz (165) and Bryan Wellisch (167) each shot 86 at Wilson.

“This is probably one of my top five teams,” said Joe White, Granada Hills’ coach since 1964. “We’ve had some teams that have shot in the 360s before. But these players are real devoted to the game, they are very skilled and we gelled at the right time.”

The Highlanders won six team titles in the 1990s and have finished second 10 times.

Granada Hills, Hamilton and the top 10 individual finishers advance to the Southern California championships June 5 in Murietta.

Alex Paek of Marshall won the individual title with a two-over-par 74 Thursday. His total of 147 edged favorite Ed Turner of Palisades by one stroke.

Carey Evans of El Camino Real finished third at 149.

Evans, who will attend Auburn, pulled even with Turner by the ninth hole, but double-bogeyed the 10th and bogeyed the 17th to finish four-over par.