West Ranch girls claim second in CIF golf playoffs
With the girls’ golf Foothill League season having come to an end, the West Ranch Wildcats finished on top of the league, winning each league matchup and looked to carry their momentum into the CIF playoffs.
The Wildcats and the Valencia Vikings were the only two teams to qualify for the Division 2 playoffs at Jurupa Hills Country Club on Nov. 2, and the Wildcats picked up right where they left off. The Wildcats finished as the runner-up team to Arcadia, finishing with 389 strokes. Arcadia finished with 384 strokes.
“We could’ve played better but played well enough to earn runner-up honors, which put us in the qualifiers for the Southern California Championship,” said Wildcats head coach Jeff Holen. “We have a bright future ahead of us with having such a young team. To my graduating seniors, once a Cat, always a Cat. It’s been an honor coaching by your side and I hope golf helped teach you the game of life and you continue to enjoy the game of golf.”
The Wildcats were led by Foothill League Player of the Year Eunice Yi, who finished with 74 strokes, good enough for 2-over par. Ashmita Goel finished with 76 strokes and Allison Hwang finished with 79 strokes.
The Wildcats finishing in the top four allowed them to compete for the qualifying round of the Southern California State Championship that took place last week. However, the Wildcats were unable to advance, finishing with 413 strokes and ending their season. Only 12 teams were able to advance to the next round.
The Vikings finished the CIF playoffs with 425 strokes and were led by Foothill League Player of the Year runner-up Jillian Leh with 78 strokes. Justin Cabot finished with 84 strokes and Isabella Dumbrique finished with 87 strokes.
“Considering we did not qualify for the team playoffs last spring, this was a great learning experience for us,” said Vikings head coach Robert Waters. “As of now, we are returning five of our six players for next season. The future looks bright and it was such a joy to coach this great group of young ladies. We only have one graduating senior, Kya Hargett, who was the heart and soul of this group. She lifted everyone up all season and she will be tough to replace next season.”