Bedraggled and battle-scarred, tired and forlorn, world-weary and thoroughly broken in, yet ceaselessly imbibing in the succulent ambrosia of victory, the boys of Palo Alto High School’s epochal golf squadron have pulled off a season for the ages. The road to success was paved with broken hearts, broken tees and good intentions as the explosive Vikings roared their way, undefeated, to the Central Coast Section (CCS) Championship.
With the delicacy of ballet dancers and the ferocity of heavyweight boxers, the lads executed jaw-dropping performances to cap off their 2016 regular season. On April 26 at Sunnyvale Municipal Golf Course, Fremont High School’s Firebirds yielded to the Vikes 202-236. The drubbing was enabled by clubbing from sophomores Ahmed Ali, who shot a 2-over 37, and Spencer Rojahn and Larry Fu, who shot twin 41s. Evidently, the Firebirds couldn’t withstand the heat.
After chalking up the “W” in Sunnyvale, Paly cruised down to Santa Teresa Golf Course in scenic San Jose to take on crosstown nemesis Henry M. Gunn High School. The Vikings delivered what can only be described, at the expense of excessive graphicality, as the beating of a lifetime to the Titans, who suffered a 182-220 defeat. The win was engendered by Ali’s 33, sophomore Sergi Mata’s 35 and senior Matt Lewis’s 36 on a par-36 course.
Surging into the post-season, the mighty men played in style, squeezing out a glorious win in the SCVAL tournament (their fourth consecutive title) and advancing to the CCS regionals. Rancho Canada High School was shot down in flames as the Vikes showered an almighty rain of destruction and golf balls, shooting a collective 367.
With the delicacy of ballet dancers and the ferocity of heavyweight boxers, the lads executed jaw-dropping performances to cap off their 2016 regular season.
“Overall, I’m super proud of how the team has progressed this year,” junior captain Timothy Liu said. “We started off with a lot of confidence that we were going to do well this year, but we hit a few surprising challenges early on that put us more on our feet when it came to our opponents. We learned a couple of important lessons regarding what it meant to truly function as a whole and as a team.”
On May 17 the boys put their skills to the ultimate test: CCS finals. They came in a respectable eighth place.
In the last four years, the Vikings have not lost a single league match. The dedication and tremendous commitment of these athletes, who give golf their all, captures the true essence of sports. Well done, boys.
