Vaqueros take second in State; Caraher finishes fifth to earn all-state

Trent Caraher shot even-par 72 in the final round on Monday as SBCC claimed second place in the CCCAA State Championships at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa.

Caraher, a sophomore from Chicago, tied for fifth in the 60-man field, shooting 75 and 72 for a 36-hole total of 3-over 147. He earned all-state honors with five birdies and eight bogeys in his two rounds on the 6,793-yard course that hosts the PGA Tour's season-opening event, the Safeway Open.

Nobuhiko Wakaari of Canyons shot a tournament-low 69 in the final round to earn medalist honors at 2-under 142, beating Myoung Kim of Orange Coast (72-73) by three shots. The Cougars grabbed three of the top four places.

Canyons, the WSC champion and pre-tournament favorite, shot 371 in the morning round to take a 10-stroke lead over the Vaqueros and Reedley. The Cougars went eight shots lower in the final round (3-over 363) to earn their ninth state title with a 14-over 734.

SBCC was 10 shots better in the second round and finished second at 752 (381-371). Cypress was third at 766 and Folson Lake took fourth at 768.

"I was very happy with our effort," said 19th-year SBCC coach Chuck Melendez. "It's a grind to play 36 holes and we were 10 shots back after the first round. Our goal was for each guy to shoot four shots better. Canyons was just lights-out in the second round."

Theo Andre-Fouet shot 76 and 73 to tie for eighth at 149. Zach Steinberger, a sophomore from Dos Pueblos High, shot a pair of 75s to tie for 12th. Brant Schenk (78-73) tied for 18th at 151.

The Vaqueros finished as state runner-up for the third time in their history (1973, 2006, 2019) and second time under Melendez. Santa Barbara won a state title in 1997.

The second-place effort was the highest state finish by a Vaquero team in the 2018-19 season. Women's Golf and Women's Water Polo both finished fourth in the state.

"This was a great group that worked very hard this year," said Melendez. "They exceeded all my expectations."

SBCC finished with a sterling 146-20 record (.880) and set new school records for overall wins and winning percentage as well as WSC wins (80-8) and win percentage.

CCCAA State Championships
At Silverado Golf Course
Both rounds at par-72 North Course
 Team – 1, Canyons 371-363--734 (14 over par). 2, SBCC 381-371--752. 3, Cypress 383-383--766. 4, Folsom Lake 384-384--768. 5 (tie), Reedley 381-390--771; Mt. SAC 382-389--771. 7, San Jose City 398-390--788. 8, Fresno City 402-392--794.
 Medalist (par 72) -- 1, Nobuhiko Wakaari, Canyons, 73-69--142 (2 under). 2, Myoung Kim, Orange Coast, 72-73--145. 3 (tie), Jules Lavigne, Canyons, 72-74--146; Anguerrand Voisin, Canyons, 75-71--146. 5 (tie), Trent Caraher, SBCC, 75-72--147; David Marris, Cypress, 72-75--147. 7, Kyle Katz, Sierra, 75-73--148. 8 (tie), Theo Andre-Fouet, SBCC, 76-73--149.
 SBCC scores -- 5 (tie), Caraher 75-72--147. 8 (tie), Andre-Fouet 76-73--149. 12 (tie), Zach Steinberger 75-75--150. 18 (tie), Brant Schenk 78-73--151. 26 (tie), JB Jandro 77-78--155. 48 (tie), Preston Gomersall 80-81--161.
 SBCC final record -- 146-20 (.880).