 | | | Photo Gint Federas | | | | | | At the tail end of spring break, Jack Schram, the head coach of the Miramonte golf team, fired off an email to his squad.
In the missive, Schram, who heads up the school's football program in the fall, told his players that he hoped they'd tuned into the furious final round of the Masters and were ready to play inspired golf down the stretch.
To this point in the season, the Mats have been heeding the advice of their coach, sporting an 8-2 record overall and an 2-2 mark in Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division play.
Miramonte's first loss came at the hands of league coleaders Las Lomas back on March 13. A week prior, the Mats got the better of Las Lomas, toppling the Knights - and the rest of the field - to win the Freedom Tournament at Deer Ridge Golf Course in Brentwood.
"We beat Las Lomas by three strokes," Schram recalled, noting that the Mats will get another crack at Las Lomas on April 20. "Five guys playing 18 holes - it shows you how close it was."
The Mats suffered their second loss on April 12 at Moraga Country Club, falling 204-199 to Campolindo, whcih holds a share the top spot in the standings along with Las Lomas. The Cougars, who have a 4-0 mark in Foothill Division action, also secured a fourth-place finish - in a field of 22 teams - at the 40th annual Wildcat Invitational at Meadow Club in Fairfax.
As has been the case throughout the season, captains Alex Meyers and Sam Sernett anchored the Mats' lineup at Deer Ridge during the Freedom Tournament.
"They've been doing a great job," Schram said of the pair. "They're the only two seniors on the team, so we have a lot of younger golfers - we have 12 total on the team (and) we're really solid, we're really deep with the first nine (players)."
Miramonte hosted neighboring Acalanes on April 17 at Orinda Country Club. While Acalanes head coach Tim Scott admitted that it was been a "rough" season for the Dons, the team always enjoys the chance to square off against a familiar foe.
"The kids get all pumped up for it and everything and among the teams - especially Campolindo and Miramonte - there's great rivalry but also great friendship with kids on both teams," Scott said.
As Scott pointed out, many of his golfers went to middle school with their now competitors at Miramonte and Campolindo.
"They still remain friends and that's good to see," Scott said. "That's kind of the way golf is. Even when you're playing in a match and there's two kids from rival schools, there's great camaraderie going on and it's just fun to see."
Owners of an 6-4 record overall (2-4 in league), Acalanes has a balanced roster, which means a different Don has emerged to lead the way every time the team hits the course. Nonetheless, Scott singled out the contributions of senior Julian O'Donnell.
"I just appreciate his leadership and what he's done for the team," Scott said.
Acalanes closes out the season by playing Campolindo at Moraga Country Club on April 26, in a match which will have major title implications for the hosts.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA