The Foothill League race heated up on Tuesday after boys’ golf met for their second match of the season.
West Ranch brought home the win with 402 strokes on the day at the Oaks Club at Valencia and was led by Tyler Sonnenberg and Kai Willen with 76 strokes (+4).
While nearly every golfer’s stroke totals went up from the first round of league competition, Castaic’s Jacob Peters’ score plummeted. Peters medaled for the Coyotes after shooting 74 (+2), nearly 20 strokes under his first league match outing at Knollwood Country Club.
Peters had no clue he had led the pack and was elated to hear the news that he medaled.
“Not even a little bit,” Peters said in a phone interview when asked if he had any idea he medaled. “There’s so many guys that go to the top schools that play there and are members, I was really hoping I’d be in the top 10. It never even crossed my mind.”
Peters hit for par on 12 holes and also finished with two birdies.
It was an emotional moment for Peters finding out he had medaled for the first time in his high school career.
“I mean it was pretty emotional. I had to call my dad and my girlfriend,” Peters said. “Both of them have really helped me get to where I am right now.”
Hart was led by senior Nathan Ekins, who finished with 76 strokes. Kai Miyata and Dylan Burcham both finished with 81 strokes for the Indians (+9).
Valencia’s Ethan Cho finished with 77 (+5) with senior Taylor Cotti one stroke behind (+6).
It was a beautiful day on the course, according to West Ranch coach Jeff Holen. Scores leaping up was an uncommon sighting, especially on a local course.
“The course was in great shape, the best it’s looked in a long time,” Holen said in a phone interview. “I really can’t tell you. It was a perfect day, maybe a slight breeze but not enough to hurt (scores). I think it was just maybe a little bit of nerves across the board, across everybody except for Jacob Peters.”
Sean Bramen finished the day with 80 strokes as the Cats were the only team with three players at 80 or fewer strokes.
Holen has been blessed with consistent individual talent in all six of his starters, leaving the coach with no clue who will be the leader of the day.
“From one to six, I can’t tell you who’s gonna be our medalist,” Holen said. “Tyler is always at the top, but our first league match, Sean Bremen comes in at No. 6 and puts up a mid-70s score. That’s a great thing about this team. I could interchange any one of them and any one of them could be our No. 1 player. We know that on any given day, if one person falters, somebody’s going to come behind him and pick them up.”
Holen also was quick to praise the Oaks Club, which has aided in local high school golf for years and continues to provide free course time for the players.
“I really appreciate (the Oaks Club) because golf has become one of those industries that it becomes a dollar sign,” Holen said. “The Oaks has continued to give us our practice rounds, and continues to give us our league play out there. And when I say give it to us, it’s no cost to us. We do some volunteer work for them … For our kids that don’t have a membership somewhere, they get a chance to go out and play the Oaks. It’s nothing but graciousness towards the Oaks with what they’ve done.”
Peters also had some familiarity with Oaks not as a member but as a patron of lessons at the club.
Although he knows the course, the senior feels his commitment and energy pushed him to the top of the standings.
“I just committed to my shots a lot and it was really just having the energy to get through the round and being prepared mentally,” Peters said.
Foothill League golf returns to The Oaks on Tuesday as Peters and the top golfers tee off at noon.
