Aragon locks up PAL boys’ golf championship

“We didn’t technically get a championship, but we should have,” Aragon coach Guy Oling said.

Well, Aragon has kept its dominant streak going through 2022. And Monday at Poplar Creek Golf Course, the Dons, at long last, secured some PAL hardware by clinching the Bay Division dual meet championship with a 198-213 win over second-place Burlingame.

“It was kind of a bummer that they didn’t have a championship (last year) but that was part of the whole sports thing (during the COVID season),” Oling said. “But we were undefeated … and kept with basically the same lineup. … It’s been a solid two years for us.”

The Dons’ current winning streak is now at 31 regular-season dual meets, including six wins at the end of 2019.

What’s just as impressive is the way the Dons are winning. Notching consistently good scores up and down the team’s scorecard, Aragon has regularly recorded sub-200 totals. On April 8 against San Mateo, led by a 4-under 31 from junior Sam Higaki, the Dons shot 183 as a team.

“Depth was important because it’s a team sport,” Oling said. “For you to add up all those scores … when you’re going 180 and 190, it’s pretty remarkable.”

Not that Oling isn’t still excited about a score of, say, 198, as the Dons recorded Monday.

“One-ninety has been the normal,” Oling said. “We’ve hit 183 and 188, depending on the course of course. But in years past going 200 is like: ‘Right on!’ … Now going below 200, I’m not bored with it, I’m excited about it every time.”

Lequan Wang shot a par 35 to share medalist honors Monday with Burlingame freshman Ian Lai. The two played in the first group and battled neck-and-neck on a sunny but slightly gusty day at Poplar Creek.

Wang opened the day with a birdie on 1. He and Lai eventually stepped to the tee on 9 deadlocked, and each birdied on a par-5 to close the day.

For Aragon, Higaki finished with a 38; Isaiah Lott a 39; Ethan Martin a 42; Noah Finberg a 44; and Alex Kao a 46. Burlingame’s Zach Newman shot a 41; Nate Teitelbaum and Hudson Rose each shot 45; Will Mendell a 47; and Andre Valldejuli.

Aragon now receives an automatic bid to the Central Coast Section championships, with qualifiers beginning May 10 at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch in Monterey. The Dons will still compete in next week’s PAL championships in Half Moon Bay, but will only be vying for individual results, as the team has already qualified for CCS.

The remaining four teams in the top tier of the PAL will compete in the PAL championships for the league’s other bid to the CCS championships. Burlingame and Mills have already clinched spots in PAL championships, with the two other teams yet to be determined.

The top five individual performers in the PAL championships not on a CCS qualifying team will also earn bids to the CCS championships.

Aragon closes out its regular-season slate Wednesday against Burlingame. With the regular-season championship already in hand, the Dons will be playing for pride, and to extend their winning streak.

“They’re all serious,” Oling said. “So, we’ll take it on as a challenge.”