Gila Ridge continues YUHSD golf dominance
Hawks take boys and girls district title for 5th consecutive season
New year, same result for Gila Ridge senior girls golfer Kylee Gerber.
For the fourth consecutive season, Gerber took home the Yuma Union High School District championship in the girls division while Gila Ridge’s Davin Grant shot a 79 to win the boys title by seven strokes.
In the team competition, Gila Ridge swept the boys and girls titles for the fifth year in a row.
Girls
It was an up-and-down day for Gerber as she struggled to get her putter going on a day she carded an 85.
“I tried to do the best I could do. I just didn’t make a lot of putts today,” Gerber admitted as she was 1-for-9 scrambling.
Despite the mishaps on and around the green, Gerber collected her fourth straight district title, something no other player has ever accomplished.
“It just shows how practice really does pay off,” she said. “It’s something I do throughout the entire year and a lot of girls in Yuma do it as a season thing, so it’s nice to see all the work in the offseason pay off.”
The San Diego Christian signee, who admitted not a whole lot went right during Wednesday’s round, had her best hole of the day on the par-5 15th.
After successfully knocking her layup shot to 100-yards out, Gerber stuffed a wedge inside 5-feet, giving her an opportunity to make her only birdie of the day.
“My best shots of the day came on the par-5 15th,” she said. “I hit a perfect hybrid right at the 100-yard marker where I’m most comfortable. At this point, I was flag-hunting because I really wanted a birdie.”
Gerber’s efforts this year earned her a spot at the DII Arizona Interscholastic Association golf championship in Tucson later this month.
“She always gives more than any coach could ask for in terms of effort,” Hawks girls coach Travis Bogart said. “She puts more work into it than anyone else I’ve ever seen. She deserves what she’s doing and hopefully she continues it with her college ca
reer.”
Gerber beat teammates Emma Christensen (2nd place, 99) and Jaymi Bayker (3rd, 102) to help lead the Hawks to their fifth straight district team title. Regina Leard rounded out the Hawk’s team score with a 133.
“Honestly, they performed better than I thought they would,” Bogart said about the Hawks’ 2020 year. “We lost some
good players last year and the girls filled the gap greatly. Hopefully we will be strong again next year.”
“I think we’ve got a good program where the kids know where they need to play in the offseason. So far, we’ve had some girls that encourage and motivate each other throughout the offseason.”
Kofa – with a score of 117 from Kayli Villegas, a 122 from Elena Nunez, Mady
sen Martinez added a 128 while Samantha Dahin carded a 130 – finished with a score of 497 to place second in the team standings.
Cibola – which had Hannah Gurney post a 117, Kaiya Cabrales (126), Carmela Brienza (130) and Kateri Carrasco (141) – finished third with a score of 516.
San Luis did not qualify for the team standings, but had both golfers Ashlyn
had both golfers Ashlyn Rodriguez and Maritza Celaya card a 117.
Boys
Golfers plug their scores in on their phone in an app, allowing the competitors to not only see their own scores, but their opponents’ as well.
However, Gila Ridge’s Davin Grant isn’t one to keep his eye on the leaderboard.
“I don’t like looking at my score before I finish,” he said. “I just played my game all the way through the finish.”
Well, Grant provided a dazzling closing finish.
After a birdie on the par5 15th and an effortless par on the 17th, he stood over the 18th tee box with his 4-hybrid in hand, a utility club he relied on for most of the play
He’d then stick his approach to roughly 40-feet from 150 yards out, needing to drain the birdie for a closing 79.
“I just wanted to finish my game and try not to impress anyone,” he said. “I wanted to break 80. I told myself I want to make this putt. I just lined it up and it went in.”
Grant, who missed more than half the season in 2020 and withdrew from the 2019 district championship after nine holes, finished one-under his final four holes to close out his first YUHSD boys golf title.
“I didn’t get to finish that,” he said. “I’m glad I came back to finish off the season with my guys because I wasn’t there for the first part of the season and it feels nice to finish this off with my teammates, especially in a big way.”
Despite being a late addition to the team in the season, Grant was a large contributor in the Hawks’ success in 2020.
“He’s been in our lineup for four years,” Gila Ridge boys coach James Kuzniak said. “Not having him at the beginning of the year was tough, but every match he’s been in, he’s been lights out. To see him put it all together for 18 holes, that was kind of the last major hurdle for him to check off as a high school golfer. That was the last accomplishment he needed to get.”
Along with Grant, John McMahen (88), Austin Whilborg (89) and Nathaniel Golding (94) helped Gila Ridge clinch its fifth straight boys team title at the district meet.
Cibola – who placed second with a team score of 426 – was led by Michael Moreno ( 2nd place) who posted an 86, Diego Servin (8th, 101), Wyatt Norred (8th, 112) and Tyson Straley (18th, 126).
Kofa finished third with a team score of 453. The Kings were led by Craig Hochheimer (9th, 103), Sonny Garcia (10th, 104), José Ramirez (115) and Jentry Goforth (131).
San Luis finished fourth with a team score of 462. The Sidewinders were led by Alberto Victoria (11th, 109), Efren Figueroa (114), Vladimir Gurrola (114) and Miguel Zepeda (125).