Two Palm Beach teams crowned 1A champions

HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS — The final day of FHSAA golf state championships on Wednesday saw two Palm Beach County teams bring home highly coveted hardware.

Benjamin and Florida Atlantic High battled a rain-soaked two days to sweep Class 1A at Mission Inn Resort and Club.

Benjamin boys golf, led by longtime coach Toby Harbeck, won for the fourth time in program history — the first time since 2009. The victory marked the Bucs’ third trophy of the season after district and region wins.

Although Benjamin denied FAU’s boys, who placed 10th overall, the opportunity to defend the title, the girls made sure the Owls were leaving with something.

That something would be the program’s first-ever state championship.

FAU High girls coach Cherene Castillo coached her team to an impressive third-place finish in 2022 before this season’s historic title run, picking up district and region championships along the way.

Whose names will go down in the books?

Sophomore Kayla Bryant totaled 137, shooting a low round of 68 on the first day of competition to set the tone for the Owls. FAU High girls turned in a team scorecard of 578 (282−296), defeating reigning state champ First Academy.

Bryant, who placed second overall, was supported by top-20 finishes for sophomore Valentina Guertin (143), who tied for eighth, and eighth grader Alexandra Phung (148) who tied for 20th. Juniors Morgan Rodriguez (131) tied for 30th and Amelie Phung (153) tied for 34th.

Seven strokes of insurance for FAU girls meant relatively smooth sailing to the title. At least when compared with the thriller on the 17th and 18th that ensued for Benjamin’s boys.

Sophomore Jake Valentine secured the title for the Bucs with a birdie on No. 17 that teed Benjamin up with a onestroke lead over First Academy’s boys heading into the final hole of competition. His low round of 72 on the first day, totaling 148, also saw him to a team-high finish, tying for eighth alongside Lake Mary Prep’s Barry Zhang, Jesse Hellring of Ransom Everglades, and FAU’s topperforming player Mateo Desmond.

Although Valentine was undoubtedly a high point for Benjamin, the Bucs won on an all-around team performance. Freshman Brooks Colton (149) tied for 12th. Junior Pavel Tsar carded a 152 to tie for 19th.

First-year team member and freshman Charlie Woods shot a low round of 76 on Day 2, totaling 154 to tie for 26th. University of Rhode Island commit and senior Tyler Bruneau (156) tied for 34th.