By Michael Hong

Staff Writer

On May 8, the Gabrielino boys varsity golf team will look to put an exclamation point on another undefeated season by competing in the Montview League Finals.

Last year, junior Osiris Sesma placed 5th in the league, while seniors Ryan Cheng, captain of the team, and Devin Heng tied for 6th.

Led by Cheng, the team cemented another league championship on April 24 by defeating Azusa High School, 208-262. After falling short last year by one rank, being on top was a welcome sight for the Eagles.

“Coming in, I knew we had a solid chance at being league champions. We were really close last year, and I knew everyone got better,” explained Cheng. “We built off previous years, and peaked this year, so we had a really good chance.”

As a leader, he’s emphasized positivity and practice as means of improvement. He identified Mario Melendez, sophomore, as a player who has taken these ideas to mind, pointing out his high placings and rapid growth over the past year.

“Last year was the beginning of a journey. I got to know people who helped finely tune my game, so I just implemented all the advice to help our team reach our goal of becoming league champions,” stated Melendez.

By not losing a single game, the team automatically qualified for the team California Interscholastic Federation games.

The top six players from the team will compete against top players from other schools in the Montview League playoffs for four spots in the individual CIF. Coach Steve Swanson picks the players based on their proficiency over the course of the season, typically choosing those with the lowest numbers of strokes.

Despite the pressure of CIF qualification, Cheng remains optimistic in the team’s potential moving forward.

“We’re all doing better. I don’t know how all the other teams are, but everyone will play to the best of their ability,” he noted.