By Ryan Menzie
Signal Sports Writer
For the sixth match in a row, the West Ranch Wildcats emerged on top to complete the season sweep for the Foothill League title.
The Wildcats finished the match with 187 strokes, 25 strokes ahead of the Valencia Vikings, and were led by Eunice Yi with 33 strokes, good enough for 3-under par. Rori Fanning, Ashmita Goel and Allison Hwang each finished with 38 strokes.
“With the regular season now done, it means it is now time for the start of our real season,” said Wildcats head coach Jeff Holen. “With this team I expect us to go to Jurupa Hills Country Club and advance to the next round and hopefully get a CIF championship for Division 2. We just have to focus on the short game and staying away from bogeys. I think we have a chance to do very well.”
Yi came into the match two shots down and had to outshoot the Vikings’ Jillian Leh by three strokes to win Player of the Year honors. Yi outshot Leh by four strokes, which put her two shots ahead of Leh.
Yi, Leh, Fanning and Goel make up the list of top four individual players of the season. Yi finished with 178 strokes, followed by Leh with 180, Fanning with 186 and Goel with 191. All four will compete in the CIF individual qualifier on Wednesday at Los Robles Greens at 7 a.m.
“It means a lot to be able compete in the team and individual CIF playoffs,” said Goel when asked about her accomplishments. “We were really proud as a team to see how we performed the last two matches. If there is anything I’ve learned throughout all this, it would be you can’t ever let one hole define you. Golf will either work for you or against you. You just have to laugh it off and keep playing your game.”
The Vikings once again finished in second place with 212 strokes and were led by Leh with 37 strokes. Isabella Dumbrique finished with 42 strokes and was followed by Been Yoo and Justin Cabot with 44 strokes each.
“My girls fought hard and I’m very proud of their effort,” said Vikings head coach Robert Waters. “Jillian (Leh) played very well, but credit to Eunice (Yi) from West Ranch. The pressure was entirely on her and she came through with an outstanding final round. This experience for Jillian will only help her down the road.”
The Hart Indians finished in third place with 233 strokes and were led by Peyton Grider and Madison Zinni with 44 strokes each. Ellie Bradley finished right behind with 46 strokes. The Saugus Centurions finished in fourth place with 255 strokes and were led by Brooke Maxwell with 42 strokes. Madison Seifert finished with 49 strokes.
The Canyon Cowboys have bounced back and forth in terms of being qualified to score, but were able to qualify in the final match with 292 strokes, good enough for fifth place. The Cowboys were led by Vivian Lee with 47 strokes. Scarlett Arellano finished second on the team with 56 strokes. The Golden Valley Grizzlies round out the Foothill League, finishing in sixth place with 312 strokes. The Grizzlies were led by Riya Patel with 57 strokes and Bailey Lieberman with 58 strokes.
The girls golf CIF competition is set to begin Nov. 2 at the Jurupa Hills Country Club at 12:30 p.m.
