Ceres High’s and Central Valley’s boys golf teams will compete with revamped lineups this spring.
The Bulldogs and Hawks lost a combined six players to graduation.
“They like to have fun,” said Ron Edwards, fourth-year head coach of Ceres High. “They enjoy playing golf. They want to win.”
“It’s a good group,” Hawks’ leader Scott Edwards said. “They have fun playing the game. They mesh well together. They just need to be consistent.”
Ceres High returns three players from last year: Jayson Homsombath (Sr.), Benjamin Larranaga (Sr.) and Zachary Chastain (So.).
Erik Hott and Christopher Dunn both graduated.
Alejandro Plantillas opted to not play this season.
Hott filled the No. 1 spot in the Bulldogs’ lineup as a senior and junior.
He secured an individual berth to the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament by virtue of his standout performance at Divisionals.
Hott claimed the Division-IV title.
He missed qualifying for NorCals by five strokes.
He earned first-team, all-WAC honors for the second year in a row.
Hott cemented his legacy as one of Ceres High’s greatest male golfers.
“It’s a big-time loss,” Ron Edwards said. “He was a great player. Jayson can fill his shoes.”
Homsombath was selected to the WAC First Team as a junior.
“I think he’ll make all-league again,” Ron Edwards said. “He has a chance to be MVP. He has a beautiful swing. He’s going to carry this team.”
Yahir Medina (Sr.), Marcos Granados (So.) and Miles Cabling (Fr.) are newcomers.
“My approach is to spend more time with the players that don’t have as much experience,” Ron Edwards said. “They should be 30-40 percent better than they are now by the middle of the season. All of them can improve.”
Underclassmen Chastain, Granados and Cabling could develop into standout golfers.
“If they put the time in, they can be really good,” Ron Edwards said. “I try to get them to practice the right way. They’re working hard. They can only get better.”
Ceres High compiled a 5-5 overall record and placed fifth in the WAC’s overall standings with 17 points last spring.
Mountain House, Beyer, Lathrop and Los Banos took first, second, third and fourth, respectively.
The Bulldogs finished fourth with a 4-3 mark during the WAC cluster season.
“I think we’re capable of finishing in the top three in league this year,” Ron Edwards said.
Central Valley returns six players from a season ago, including Dillon Brush (Sr.), Daniel Castillo (Sr.), Gabriel Davila-Sanchez (Sr.), Armando Guajardo (Sr.), Daniel Jacinto (Sr.), and Jadon Rafatti (Sr.).
“This year’s roster is different,” Scott Edwards said. “We have good depth in the middle of our lineup. That will allow us to compete.”
Brush, Guajardo and Rafatti will lead the Hawks.
“Dillon, Armando and Jadon will be much more consistent this year,” Scott Edwards said. “They played throughout the offseason. To get good at golf, you have to play often and with purpose. It doesn’t matter if you’re a high-school kid or adult.”
Matteo Bonales, Dylan Jacobson, Alijah Lopez and Victor Alvarez all graduated.
Bonales won the WAC South MVP award as a junior.
He earned first-team, all-Central California Conference accolades as a senior and freshman.
“With Matteo, we knew we had a guy who could challenge the other team’s No. 1 player,” Scott Edwards said.
Alex Aguilar (Fr.), Cole Jacobson (Fr.) and William Montez (Fr.) are newcomers.
Central Valley’s three underclassmen have all shown promise.
“We needed some youth because we have six seniors,” Scott Edwards said. “They’ll be contributing this year.”
The Hawks compiled a 5-7 record en route to a fourth-place finish in the 2022 dual-season standings.
“The CCC is solid,” Scott Edwards said. “There’s more depth and that’s the bottom line. I want to see us compete in the middle of the pack like last year.”