This season’s girls’ golf Foothill League competition has been neck and neck between West Ranch and Valencia.
In the end, Valencia girls’ golf took home the crown, defeating West Ranch by 23 strokes.
“Smiling faces all around this week,” Valencia coach Robert Waters said. “Such a great, clutch performance by the girls in this final stretch. High-pressure situation for both teams and it was nice to see us keep our composure and finish so strong.”
Going into the final week of play, West Ranch and Valencia were tied through four league matches.
Following the fifth round, the Vikings took a nine-stroke lead heading into Thursday’s final match, in which Valencia defeated West Ranch.
On Thursday, Valencia carded a total team score of 162 (3-under par), which was not only the lowest score for the Vikings, but also the winning result for the team as they clinched the title at the Vista Valencia golf course.
“That final round (3-under par) was definitely impressive and gives us some nice confidence and momentum moving into the postseason,” Waters said.
Kara An was the medalist in the sixth round and turned in a league-clinching performance with a score of 30 (-3).
“Kara medaled both rounds this week. She’s been clutch all year for us, but I think she really took a big step forward after struggling during the first league round we played at the Oaks,” Waters said. “I think that poor round motivated her to focus. Since that day, she played the remainder of league play at 5-under par, which is outstanding.”
Although An medaled in the final two rounds, Eliana Saga took home the individual MVP league honors as she had a total score of 172.
Her teammate, An, fell to Saga, two strokes behind with a score of 174 (-2).
As for Waters, the total that the team accomplished just serves as a reminder of how talented they are and how proud of them he is for the hard work they’ve displayed all season.
“Definitely feels great. I’m really proud of how the girls continued to stay the course and control the controllables toward the end of league play,” he said.
As for West Ranch, the team was not successful in defending the league title after winning it last season. Despite the tough result, coach Jeff Holen said there is still much to be proud of.
“As I stated before, anytime the competition is close, it’s fun to watch,” he said. “To see West Ranch girls step up and make it a competitive season is a testament to their character.”
All six golfers on the West Ranch girls’ golf team placed in the top 15 in the individual Foothill League scores, with Chloe Busnwai leading the way with a total score of 181.
As for the other teams, Saugus golfer Khloe Guerrero turned in a score of 206 in the standings that placed her ninth. For Hart, Elsie Craig-Forcum led all golfers and placed 14th along with a total of 239.
For Castaic and Golden Valley, Addalyn Fractor and Khloe Jones led their teams with total scores of 252 and 258, which placed them at 16th and 19th, respectively.
Canyon golfer Amelia Sivborvorn led her team with a score of 278 and placed 25th.
With the league season all wrapped up, Valencia girls’ golf will have its top golfers participate in the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section playoffs, which are set to begin on Oct. 27.
Holen believes there is still some golf left to be played for West Ranch as he has submitted an at-large bid for his team to participate in the postseason.
“I let them know how proud I was of them and asked what they were going to work on during the off season to improve for next year,” he said. “I also let them know that our season is not over. We are going to apply for a CIF at-large team bid.”
