After shooting +6 as a team on the first round of the tournament, the top-ranked Valley Christian golf team battled tough conditions and held off the rest of the field to capture the school’s third consecutive D-III State Championship by 21 strokes.
“God has blessed us with six very talented golfers that represented Valley Christian very well at state in their conduct as well as their play,” stated head coach Scott Longanecker. “This year has been truly a team effort between the players, coaches, parents, school and the golf community, to see these guys realize their potential in winning a third state championship in a row.
The Trojans gave themselves a big cushion after the opening round on Friday, as they headed into the clubhouse leading by 17 strokes. Saturday brought windy and cold conditions and the scores jumped all over the course. On day two, Valley Christian shot +37 on the day. Even despite the high scores, the Trojan golf team recorded the low score in round two.
Valley Christian was paced by the outstanding play of California Baptist-bound senior Trevor Lampson. Lampson finished third overall individually at +7 after recording rounds of 72 and 78. Senior Gavin deFisser finished 11th overall with a +12. deFisser, who has committed to play golf at William & Mary, shot a 73 on the first day to enter the second round at +1, but a tough day on the north course saw him card a +11.
Rounding out the scoring for the Trojans was sophomore RJ David in 12th (+14) and sophomore Garret deFisser in 23rd (+18). Senior Davie Rocha scored the first day for the Trojans, shooting a 75 to finish +3. Junior Evan Miller played the second day and shot a 78 to finish +7 on the day, which tied him for seventh in round two.
“The true success of this team is not only a third state championship, but how they honored God in the way they accomplished it,” said Longanecker.
This is the school’s fourth team state championship in golf and the third consecutive. Of the three consecutive titles, this was the first time the team led from start to finish.
With the golf team’s state championship, they extended Valley Christian’s streak of winning a team state championship to 25 consecutive years.
