During a drizzling afternoon on March 2, the Bonita Vista High (BVH) boys’ varsity golf team lost to Olympian High (OH) 255-194 at Enogic Golf Club in Eastlake. Players expressed disappointment but seek to perform well on March 5 for their third match of the season.

“I feel like I started off better this game. I’m shooting better. I just need to control my distances more, but we’re going against a really good team,” golf team member and junior Tyler Carter said.

Players were divided into three groups whose scores would be totaled afterwards. They described the early game as slow and difficult, citing OH’s strong plays, and believed the rainy weather worsened their performance.

“[There were] a couple mistakes here and there—maybe because of the rain. I’m more focusing on my individual performance [but] I think I’m happy with how I’m at,” golf team member and junior Jackson Loughney said.

Coach Michael Wegenka remarked that the team executed strong driver shots, which initiated plays, but continued to struggle with putting.

“A couple of players [are] struggling a little bit, but staying in there. I think we’re hitting the ball well but we’re still struggling with the putting,” Wegenka said.

Towards the end of the game, several balls were lost outside bounds. To avoid this, freshman Alejandro Sanchez swung a provisional shot, which is a second shot made if the golfer believes their first shot may be lost. In terms of performance, Sanchez believes he has improved since the previous game.

“I feel like my drivers are way better this time. I just need to pick it up on my irons [short-distance putts] a little bit [and] I think we’ll be set on the win,” Sanchez said during the final hole.

For junior Sean Murphy, improvement is a definitive goal, though he notes an element of enjoyment in his performance.

“[I’m] just living life [to be] honest. It’s fun [to] get to hit balls [and] have a good time out here with [Alejandro Sanchez],” Murphy said.

The players verified their score reports and shook hands afterwards. After their second loss of the season, BVH intends to prioritize more practice for the upcoming league matches. The team practices at the Bonita Golf Course on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-4:45 p.m.

“We could have played a lot better. It [was] a rough day where they got the best of us. Hopefully [we will] do better [and] practice to improve [our] games,” golf team member and senior Jackson Reaksecker said.