Both the Cougars and the Falcons are looking to improve on last years seasons as the boys golf teams take to the fairways for the 2012 season. The teams finished toward the bottom of the pack last season but plan improving this year as the younger golfers learn the finer aspects of the game.
Scotts Valley High School
Eleven year veteran Head Coach Rich Hager is again working with the young team he had last season. The Falcons are 0-2 in league matchups but both their losses came at the hands of local powerhouses Aptos and Harbor.
“We are progressing so far,” Hager said. “I guess you could say we are ironing out the kinks in our swings and getting better every day.”
The Falcons finished 3-9 last year with the majority of the team as freshman. Now sophomores, they are showing improvement, along with the upperclassmen on the team.
The Falcons No.1 player is junior Colton Marshall, followed by senior Kevin Considine and fellow junior Mathew Helms. The No. 4 player is sophomore Andrew Speirs, but there are six other players right up there in the mix, Hager said.
“We really haven’t played up to our potential yet,” Hager said. “The season has been so wet we haven’t got much play time in but we will get better and should be able to compete with Soquel, Saint Francis, SLV and Santa Cruz. I think we will end up around mid-pack this year.”
San Lorenzo Valley High School
Head Coach Mark Mercer sees his team again needing to put in the hours of practice to finish this season mid-pack in the tough Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League competition.
“We are really young,” said Mercer of his team. “I see a whole load of promise from our younger guys. They are really hard workers and willing to put in the time. It helps a lot when the kids are this coachable.”
The Cougars are led by senior Larry George and junior Cameron Morse.
SLV lost their only all-league player Dan Herrera from last season to graduation as the team finished at the bottom of the SCCAL standings in 2011.
The Cougars have started the 2012 season winless in league play as they currently sit 0-2 in SCCAL match-ups.
“We really have our work cut out for us,” Mercer said. “A lot of kids aren’t coming back to play after last season. Some of these kids are having a hard time even making grades. There is really so much going on in spring it makes it tough for us to even pull together a viable team. These kids are determined and I see us improving a lot over the course of this season.”
