St. Francis golf noses out Crescenta Valley

PASADENA — Though both squads were missing some of their key players, the St. Francis High and Crescenta Valley boys’ golf teams took to Brookside Golf Course No. 1 for their customary nonleague match Monday.

Though nobody cracked a score of under 40 on the par-36 venue located next to the Rose Bowl, Tommy Altmayer had a reasonably good round, as he shot a 40 to share medalist honors and help St. Francis register a 212-219 victory.

“I started off well and carried through six playing at even-par,” said Altmayer, who split medalist accolades with Crescenta Valley’s AJ Roa. “The last couple of holes were a little tough because of the greens not being in great condition.

“There are things you can take from this, like being focused for all nine holes. We have the skill, no doubt, but we need to keep our focus in matches like this and in league. I think we have a solid group of four or five players.”

Looking to solidify their lineups following the absence of some regular starters for various reasons, the Golden Knights and Falcons tapped into their depth. The Golden Knights were without Stian Lindvedt and the Falcons were minus David Holeman and Jonghyuk Hong.

St. Francis, which placed second in the Mission League and fifth in the CIF Southern Section Central Team Divisional last season, received a 41 from Michael Mozilo, 42 from Eric Lin, 44 from Thomas Harris and 45 from David Emerson.

Cody Renfro finished with a 41 for Crescenta Valley, which got a 45 from Tanner Schillling, 46 from Harry Cho and 47 from Matthew Carbajal. Crescenta Valley took second in the Pacific League last season before advancing to the Northern Team Divisional.

“We have to be a little more focused and it’s about grinding it out,” said St. Francis Coach Kyle Ostrom, a former All-Area Boys’ Golf Coach of the Year. “We do have that top four that can go out there and set the tone.”

Crescenta Valley Coach Lee Pope said the Falcons can learn from Monday’s round and perhaps gather some momentum leading into Thursday’s Pacific League match at De Bell Golf Club in Burbank.

“It’s one of those early season matches and that’s why you play against teams like St. Francis so you can learn,” Pope said. “We were able to bring up some of our younger guys to get an opportunity to play.

“You’d like to have lower scores, but I’m pleased. I’m not disappointed with the outcome at all.”