Boys’ Golf Preview: Crescenta Valley, Glendale in search of Pacific League glory

Both the Crescenta Valley High and Glendale boys’ golf teams are thinking big before their players hit their first shots from the tee box to begin the season.

The Falcons and Nitros appear to have stacked lineups in their quest to challenge for the Pacific League championship, grab a playoff spot and possibly send a couple of players into CIF individual postseason play.

Meanwhile, St. Francis and Flintridge Prep will likely have younger squads looking to gain experience while competing in the Mission and Prep leagues, respectively.

Crescenta Valley finished second in league last season and tied for 11th at the CIF Southern Section Northern Team Divisional under coach Lee Pope.

The Falcons will return a handful of players from last season’s squad, including seniors Cody Renfro, AJ Roa and Jonghyuk Hong. They will be joined by junior Tanner Schilling and sophomores David Holeman and Trey Ballard. Renfro qualified for the CIF Southern Section Northern Individual Regional Tournament last season and earned All-Area accolades.

“We’re loaded and we seem to have more seniors than we’ve had in some time,” Pope said. “I think we certainly can contend for the league championship because we should be solid one through five in the lineup.

“Arcadia won it last year and will be tough. Glendale can also battle and they have some real good players.”

Crescenta Valley should also have depth. Among those waiting in the wings for the Falcons will be seniors Gio Labellarte and Brady Soper, junior Harry Cho and sophomores Ethan Gabon and Matt Carbajal.

Glendale should also be greatly improved and will also have depth. The Nitros will boast a lineup that will feature junior Russell Caletena, who finished third in league last season and also appeared in the Northern Individual Regional Tournament en route to picking up an All-Area nod.

“Russell had improved his overall game quite a bit,” Glendale Coach Anthony Mohr said. “I don’t see any reason why Russell and [sophomore] Brandon Ahn can’t compete for a league championship.

“For our team, it’s going to come down to consistency. We have a good team in the making, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on them.”

Caletena and Ahn will be joined by seniors Sammy Do and Eyna Alaan, juniors Arman Aloyan and Leif Amussen and freshman Elison Alaan.

St. Francis will look to build off last season’s second-place finish in league behind Loyola. The Golden Knights took fifth in the Central Team Divisional.

Though St. Francis lost some players to graduation, it still has most of its core in tact. Leading the way will be senior Michael Mozilo, who picked up All-Area honors after finishing third in the league individual and advancing to the postseason.

Also expected back for St. Francis are junior Tommy Altmayer and sophomore Stian Lindvedt.

“I feel real good about our top three players, but we need to fill out the rest of the lineup,” said St. Francis Coach Kyle Ostrom, a former All-Area Boys’ Golf Coach of the Year. “Those three have stepped it up by putting in a lot of work.

“We need to find some other players who can step up and grab a spot in the lineup. If we can get that done, then I feel confident we can get back to the playoffs.”

At Flintridge Prep, coach Bob Loughrie will begin his 29th season. It’s possible the Rebels can move up in the Prep League and battle for a playoff spot.

The Rebels will have just one senior in Riley Jones, who will compete in his first season. The youthful Rebels will have a lineup that will likely consist of junior Jonah Sacks and sophomores Justin Yu, Brendan Barton, Cameron Wu and Kartik Pandon.

“I’m elated about where we are now compared to last year,” Loughrie said. “It’s still a young team, but they are completely interested in golf and that’s half the battle right there.

“Many of them went out and took lessons and played in tournaments. I think we are a lot better because of that. I can’t say what our record will be, but I think we’re on the right track now.”