A cool noon air breezed as members of Bonita Vista High’s (BVH) boys’ varsity golf team entered the Bonita Golf Course on Feb. 25 for the first match of the spring season. BVH lost to Mater Dei Catholic High (MDCH) 233-193, as lower scores represent fewer strokes per hole.

“There [were] a little nerves. Some of us hadn’t played a match before so this was a good gauge on where our team is at for this year,” golf team member and junior Jackson Loughney.

Games were each nine holes, each initiated by a long-distance “driver shot.” Players were split into three groups with two members from each team, who circled the golf course based on their individual games. All scores would be totaled afterwards.

“We haven’t really played much or practiced so we’re still getting into the hang of it but I’m sure by the end of this season we’ll be good,” sophomore Gavin Reaksecker said.

According to coach Michael Wegenka, gameplay remained mostly even and stable throughout the match. He praised the team’s strong driver shots, though he noted an important weakness.

“Putting is something they want to focus on because that’s where they seem to be losing strokes right now,” Wegenka said.

One instance of this was after a strong putt towards the end of the game, when freshman Kristian Gutierrez accidentally swung a golf ball at a visitor’s golf caddy, causing a slight commotion. Nobody was injured, and Wegenka noted that players pushed through their last plays.

“My putts have been off [and] so have my driver shots but I feel if I can just pick it up, we can come up with the win,” freshman Alejandro Sanchez said prior to a swing during the match.

During the last group’s hole near the main entrance, players clapped and let out a “good game” in unison. After a quiet calculation of scores, they shook hands and huddled on the sidewalk to discuss their performance.

“[The opposing players are] a lot of the guys from other schools that I know,” Loughney said. “It’s fun to play against them.”

As with all schools in the local Mesa League, BVH will rematch MDCH in April. Wegenka sees this entry game as an opportunity for the team to improve in later games.

“[It’s] a better start than last year. [We did] about 10 strokes better than we did last year for the first match [but] we can really bring that score down. Our goal for the year [would be a score of] 200 [and] I think we’ll get there in the next couple weeks,” Wegenka said.