By Tommy Waller
Staff Writer
Although Mira Costa’s boys golf team drove its way to the CIF championship, it could not find its way to the state championships.
The team ended its season at the CIF-SS Team Championship Tournament that took place on May 15 at Mile Square Golf Course, placing fourth out of 20 teams. To compete in further competitions, Costa would have had to place first or second. Costa had a score of 387 with the winning score coming in at 379. Senior Jack Raney (78), junior Jack Major (76) and junior Connor Bergin (76) led the Mustangs with low scores.
“We did well on our speed, as we were able to finish our round in 3 hours, 28 minutes,” Raney said. “What we need to do is work on conditioning, as some of the younger guys became fatigued, which did not allow for the best performance down the stretch.”
Senior Maxwell Huggins (77) believes that Costa played very well despite the immense pressure they were under. The odds were not optimal for Mira Costa, as only two of the 20 teams advanced.
“We did a great job playing as a team,” Huggins said. “One person would always cover for another person who didn’t play well.”
Costa had not lost a match in 10 straight games, nine of which occurred in Ocean League. It was disappointing to lose after so many straight wins, Bergin said.
“We came in on a hot streak in the beginning, but that did not really help us gain victory as we had played inferior opponents,” Bergin said. “We really should have spent more time on conditioning throughout the year to ensure optimal fitness during the last parts of games.”
One area where the team feels it must improve before next season is the offseason training, Bergin said. He is certain that Costa would have been undefeated this season if it had been able to condition itself better.
“All of us go all out on the golf course, so that really leaves us with sore legs after some nine-hole matches,” Bergin said. “We leave everything out on the course, and what we need to do is come in better prepared.”
The Mustangs finished their season 8-0 in Ocean League and 11-1 overall. Bergin believes that the season itself was a major success and that a lot of the players will continue to improve in the offseason.
“I feel proud,” Junior Justin Del Roso said. “It’s great to know that we were undefeated in Ocean League, and it will continually motivate me to become a better player and contribute to this team, especially for next year.”
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