Prep Golf: Hesperia claims the program's first Mojave River League title in 31 seasons
After an approach shot landed within 20 feet of the hole, Luke Hallett strolled down the fairway not knowing the stakes of his upcoming putt for birdie.
Ending the ninth hole with a birdie or par, Hallett would not only guarantee the Hesperia golf team’s win over Apple Valley on Thursday, but would also mean the program’s first Mojave River League title in 31 years.
“My coach had told me before the hole to just make a par and we would be looking good,” Hallett said after completing nine holes at Apple Valley Golf Course. “I was just kind of calm and playing normal golf. I gave the putt a good line and was just a little short and I could tell once I was a little bit short and everyone was freaking out that I probably just needed a two-putt for the win.”
Hallett rolled his putt for birdie within a foot of the hole and then tapped the ball in for par to give Hesperia the 184-192 victory over Apple Valley.
Hesperia needed to win the match by seven strokes to secure the outright league title over Apple Valley. Hallett’s tap-in par ensured that the Scorpions won by eight strokes.
While both sides knew the likely outcome, there was tension in the air around the ninth green as the final score was being calculated. Once the outcome was official, and the two sides shook hands, Hesperia head coach Jeremy Topete was overcome with emotion.
With tears running down his face, Topete embraced his team and shared an emotional moment that served as a culmination of all the hard work throughout the season.
More: Oak Hills’ Amaya Sigala is the Victorville Chevrolet High School Athlete of the Week
“The emotions came from all the little individual battles that these kids endured throughout the year. One bad shot, one bad round, one bad day, one bad practice,” Topete said. “That was just a moment of relief. All of that made the win so much sweeter. The championship, calling them MRL champs, nobody will ever be able to take that away from them.”
Leading the way for the Scorpions was Brady McColm. The junior led all golfers by shooting a 33, two under par, and did so by sticking to the fundamentals without anything flashy.
“I would say everything today was just OK,” McColm said. “I didn’t really hit anything too costly, just kept it in play and made a few putts. I’d say my putter saved me today.”
The entire Hesperia team entered the match with the same mindset to not make mistakes and let the game come to them.
“The worst thing you can do is start worrying about things you can’t control, like what everyone else is shooting or that the wind is blowing harder when you happen to hit your ball,” Hallet said.
A huge swing on hole No. 8
The mistake-free mindset wound up paying off on the eighth hole of the match with the second group of golfers. McColm hit what was arguably his best shot of the day, a 100-yard wedge shot that landed within five feet of the cup.
Shortly thereafter, Apple Valley’s Kaiden Akins attempted a low punch shot under the towering pine tree that draped over the fairway. The shot squarely hit the trunk of the tree and caromed into the adjacent desert. Akins’ ball wound up rolling completely out of bounds, forcing him to drop from his previous spot.
Akins would end up putting his fourth shot attempt on the green and settled for a double bogey. That three-shot swing from Akins, coupled with McColm’s birdie, took the pressure off the Scorpions for the final hole.
“We had a ton of momentum after that. Me and Sully (Sullivan Kilkenny) knew that we just couldn’t throw it away that last hole. We just had to play like we do. We knew we had it in the bag,” McColm said.
More to play for
The Scorpions will be back at Apple Valley Golf Course on April 29 for the two-day MRL Finals. It is an individual competition and Topete is excited to see his players compete after playing so well as a team during league match play.
“Now you don’t have to worry about the team. Now you are playing for you. Here’s your reward for all your hard work,” Topete said.
More: High Desert Sports Roundup: Oak Hills closes in on the outright MRL baseball title
After that, Hesperia will regroup back as a team for the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 playoffs. The Scorpions won the CIF-SS Division 7 title back in 2022 and with how well the Scorpions are playing, Topete thinks his team has a chance of accomplishing that feat this year.
“We’ve kind of been looking at some of the teams in our division and I think we are kind of in the mix,” Topete said. “We’re excited for that. This, today, was icing on the cake, and everything else is just gravy.”
Match Leaderboard
1. Brady McColm (H), 33; 2. Brady Fonville (AV) — 34; 3. Brody Earnest (AV), 35; 4. Sullivan Kilkenny (H), 36; 5. Ty Topete (H), 37; T6. Carson Hamilton (AV), 38; T6. Luke Hallett (H), 38; 8. Andrew Everett (H), 40; 9. Madison Irvin (AV), 42; 10. Sherman Cline (AV), 43.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Prep Golf: Hesperia beats Apple Valley to capture the MRL title
