COBB — The Coastal Mountain Conference North golf race is going down to the wire after Fort Bragg closed the gap against Clear Lake with a 349-380 victory Wednesday afternoon at the par-68 Adams Springs Golf Course on Cobb Mountain.
Clear Lake (18-3) could have secured the outright North title with a win Wednesday, but Fort Bragg (17-4) had three golfers shoot in the 80s to deny the Cardinals that clinching victory. Instead, the two teams will duke it out again Tuesday at Brooktrails Golf Course near Willits in the regular-season finale. If Clear Lake wins, which it did at Brooktrails on March 29, the North pennant goes to the Cardinals. If Fort Bragg prevails, the two teams will finish tied atop the standings and a four-on-four sudden-death tiebreaker will determine which school gets the North’s automatic berth into the sectional playoffs.
“Fort Bragg had a couple of players really step up,” Clear Lake head coach Ted Mattila said. “They are really improving.”
While Clear Lake’s Nathon Lopez won medalist honors with the day’s low round of 80, Fort Bragg golfers fired the next four lowest rounds — 84, 84, 86 and 95.
“Those scores right there were difference,” Mattila said. “Usually they have one player in the 80s and three in the 90s, but today they had three in the 80s.”
Outside of Lopez, the Cardinals struggled mightily on a course that isn’t far from their own home course at Buckingham Golf and Country Club. Miles Mattina started slowly but came on late to finish with 96, and Sofia Arredondo shot a personal-best 101. Peyton Ewing finished at 103.
“Miles had a shaky start and some bad breaks, but he was strong down the stretch,” Mattina said. “Peyton struggled from the start and never found his game.”
Willits came in a distant third with 467 and Mendocino, the fourth member of the North, didn’t show up for the match.
The low four individual rounds out of six determine a team’s final score. Also playing for Clear Lake were Keara Alonso (106) and Brooke Hinchcliff (113).
