Bay League Notebook: South Bay Rules in Boys Golf

Played at the Lakewood Country Club's par-72 course, the Knabe Cup features many of the best teams in CIF and is one of Southern California's prestigious prep golf tournaments.

Now consider this: Five of the top nine teams in Wednesday's boys golf tournament were from the Bay League. South Torrance was fourth, followed by sixth-place Redondo, seventh-place Peninsula, eighth-place Chadwick and ninth-place Mira Costa.

"I was telling [Mira Costa coach] Bob Timberlake the other day that this is like the old days, when things were so even," South coach Kelly Wood said at the Knabe Cup. "It's crazy how close it is this year."

Some consider South the favorite to end Mira Costa's nine-year domination of Bay League golf. But that's easier said than done. Mira Costa, despite an off day at the Knabe Cup, is off to a 5-1 start in Bay League, and Peninsula edged South in a recent league match.

This is also a sport where one of the little guys, private-school Chadwick of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, can compete with the big boys. In addition, the league's parity was increased by three players who transferred from Mira Costa to Redondo, thereby at least temporarily weakening the league's No. 1 power and strengthening a program that is now close to becoming a power.

"We're all talking like this is wide open this year," Timberlake said. "Now you have all these programs are coming up. You can get beat every day walking out on the golf course."

This year's parity may be a bit cyclical, but there is more to it than that. Perhaps the battle for league champion will feature more than one or two schools from now on.

"A lot more kids are playing golf now than, say, 10 years ago," Timberlake said. "A lot more junior programs have come on board. It's amazing, really.

"A lot more kids are playing golf, thanks to all these programs at El Segundo and other place. The result is that there are no weak teams in the Bay League."

Here's a closer look at the Bay League's six teams.

Redondo

The Sea Hawks might be a power this year if all three of the Mira Costa transfers had been eligible, but the CIF ruled against hardship exceptions to the transfer rule for Ryan Ree and DeAngelo. Still, Lawrence Ree (75 at Knabe) upgrades the still-thin varsity lineup. And he's got help from friend and teammate Kenny Cole, who also fired a 75 at Knabe. Ray Malazo shot a solid 76 at Knabe. Had senior George Whitson not suffered through an atypical 86, Redondo could easily have finished ahead of South.

"We've got some very good golfers on our team this year," said first-year coach John Burke, who is filling in for Coach Loreen Trevino, who is on disability. "The problem is we only have six players who can consistently make good scores [in a dual match]. That leaves you vulnerable if more than one person has an off round."

Burke has been working with Trevino for several years, so he has good feel for where the Redondo golf program is headed.

"We didn't have much of a program five or six years ago, but things are looking up," he said. "Where once we might have lost by 30 or 40 strokes, we're not losing by more than 15 now. And we're getting closer all the time."

The Sea Hawks lose only Whitson and Jack Yates to graduation. Malazo is a sophomore, Cole will be back, along with Ree and the two ineligible transfers. Blake Ruskind is another solid player on this year's team. He will only get better the rest of this season and into next year.

"This is kind of a transitional year," Burke said. "Next year we should have a very strong golf team. We'll definitely have seven good players to make five [scores for team play]."

Burke has enjoyed his first as head coach. And the Sea Hawks have no complaints.

"It was tough for him, taking over late like he did," Whitson said. "He's done fine. We like having him as the coach."

Mira Costa

Lawrence Ree, brother Ryan and Michael DeAngelo left Mira Costa. Another left for home schooling so he could be a hair stylist, forcing Timberlake to go with a very young lineup that includes three freshmen. "Team-wise, we had a good year [including a CIF championship]," Timberlake said, "but there was a lot of drama. I think the boys decided to go back to Redondo where they have more friends and they felt more comfortable."

The good news is Area Player of the Year David Kim returns to lead the young squad that includes freshman Kyle Cohen, James Houston and JJ Stansbury. The Mustangs also have a solid returner in J.P. Harper, who shot a 79 at the Knabe Cup, and capable juniors in Lorenzo Gillenwater (78), Krishna Shegran (80) and Evan Esterbrook.

"We're pretty happy with how things have gone," Timberlake said. "It's been a lot of fun. We only have two guys with varsity experience but they are working hard and playing well. Everyone gets along very well."

Kim has struggled to regain the form he showed as a sophomore, but Timberlake isn't worried. Considering how well the Mustangs have done, it's exciting to consider what they might do if Kim regains his stroke. "He just needs to work through a couple of issues," he said. "It's mainly just consistency."

Peninsula

Coach Bob Wilton has been a mainstay on the hill since 1985 when he became Palos Verdes' golf coach. He switched to Peninsula when it opened in 1991 and has been there ever since.

So it means something when you ask him about this year's team and the question puts a smile on his face.

"We've got a good young team," he said. "We have three fine young players and we've got 15 players on JV. Some of them are really good, too."

In other words, the future is bright for the Panthers, who already scored a big victory earlier in the season when they edged the Spartans in a close match. That talent was on display at the Knabe Cup, where Chase Fujihara and Jack Doty both shot 73s. Jay Kim had an off round, shooting 88, but he's been the Panthers' No. 1 performer so far this season.

Ryan Yoshikawa and Nick Medina give the Panthers a strong starting five.

"Jay Kim is a fine player," Wilton said. "At Knabe, our two younger players [Fujihara and Doty] were really good. It's encouraging the way we're playing."

Chadwick

The Dolphins have a reputation for being strong on their home course (Rolling Hills Country Club), where they have beaten both South and Mira Costa this year. But they showed their talent isn't all about the course when they did well at Knabe Cup.

Mike Stone shot a 73 at Lakewood Country Club to lead Chadwick, which also got a 78 from Riley Eggers. Ethan Leff shot 81 and Clayton Davis an 84. Sam Ferrell, one of the team's top players, wasn't available or Chadwick might have finished as high as fifth overall. Ted Zimmerman adds depth for the Dolphins.

The early wins over South and Mira Costa give Chadwick a fighting chance to finish in the top-two of Bay League and make it to the CIF playoffs. That would be a great achievement for such a small school.

South Torrance

The Spartans tied the Mustangs last year for the league title and showed at the Knabe Cup their talent and depth. With a little bit of luck, they could have lowered their 304 score to 295, putting them right there with the best teams in CIF.

Sophomore Robin Kang has been South's top player. He shot a 72 at Knabe to tie for fourth place. Dan Kim wasn't far behind at 74 and Tai Kuida shot a 75. G.J. Sanati and freshman Gordon Hundley give South an excellent top five.

The matches of the year for South and Mira Costa are coming up. They face each other April 19 at Los Verdes Golf Course and April 21 at Chester Washington Golf Course.

West Torrance

The Warriors defeated the Sea Hawks earlier in the year, but don't figure to challenge for the league championship. Still, they have some eye-opening talent. Will Chae shot a 74 at the Knabe Cup and could be a strong contender for individual honors at the Bay League finals and in CIF.

Justin Choi, Eugene Kim, Charles Fazio, Steven Kawamoto and Taylor Wood round out the Warriors' roster.

Palos Verdes

The Sea Kings compete in the Ocean League, where they are strong contenders. Their roster includes Logan McFarland, Charley Parks, Tim de Silva, Matt Kaufman and Sean Reveley. A closer look at their chances after the Spring Break.

In other news...

Underrated Greatness

Peninsula's Reese Morgan made basketball's CIF Division 2A first team, of course, but the feeling here is that Morgan should have been the 2A Player of the Year. He averaged 27.3 points a game, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.0 steals a game, all while being a marked man game in and game out for a team that went 30-3.

Gahr's Davon Potts had a great year, but his 22.1 scoring average, 3.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds don't match up (and his shooting percentage wasn't any better). Morgan had a fabulously productive senior season for a team which was unbeaten in Bay League and went a long way in the playoffs.

Other Honors

Mira Costa senior Elliott Ozer also made the 2A team, an honor richly deserved. Ozer's ability to score in traffic was rare.

Palos Verdes junior Kelsey Brockway earned first-team honors in Division 3A. Brockway has a sweet jumper and plenty of physical talent. It will be interesting to see how well she plays as a senior.