The early season has been described by players as challenging for Bonita Vista High’s (BVH) boys’ varsity golf team. On March 5, players came back to the sunny hills of the Bonita Vista Golf Course for their fourth match of the season, where they lost to Eastlake High (ELH) 232-197.

The 9-hole match was divided into three groups with two players from each team; all scores were totaled afterwards. During the early rounds, BVH players noted a stronger start compared to previous games.

“My fairway [shots on ideal landing area] and iron play [shorter distance shots] [are] better but it’s not my best. I want to shoot under six for the rest of the holes. Hopefully I get par on this one,” golf team member and junior Sean Murphy said prior to a swing.

As the game progressed, one ELH player narrowly missed a hole-in-one shot, though the middle plays remained stable for the BVH team, according to Wegenka.

“We did okay in the middle so we’re showing improvement: about 10 strokes better than our last match,” Wegenka said. [We’re] going [in] the right direction.”

Players universally agreed their performance had improved from their previous game, though Wegenka and the players humorously noted sophomore Gavin Reaksecker’s “choke.”

“I was pretty solid—playing my best game—up until the sixth hole [where] I choked and fell apart from there. But [in] the end I pulled it back together. Overall, if I [keep] it consistent I might do better next time,” Reaksecker said while chuckling.

Two players—freshmen Christian Gutierrez and Dinh Truong—did not participate in the match, as high schools may only compete as 6-player teams. Truong has spectated the team’s last 4 matches, and aims for an individual score of 55 or lower.

“It’s a good experience because you get to see how to hit the ball [and] where to aim,” Truong said. “When you play next time you have more knowledge.”

After scores were calculated, Junior Jackson Loughney was named co-medalist with another player from ELH for having the lowest individual score of 37.

“It was a great round,” Loughney said. “We are just missing that little aspect as a team to get the win.”

Though the team has struggled to stand their ground in the early season, Coach Michael Wegenka remains hopeful for the developing season.

“My goal for the season is 200 so [in] a couple more weeks we should be pretty close,” Wegenka said.