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Mira Vista Golf Course’s difficult putting conditions cost both St. Mary’s and El Cerrito some strokes at Thursday’s varsity golf matchup, but the Panthers ultimately had the consistency to win the league match, 212-252. 

St. Mary’s No. 3 golfer Brian Haller managed to outwit the newly aerated greens, posting a very respectable 37 to pace the Panthers. No. 1 Chris Weidinger and No. 2 Ian Salisbury would card 39 and 43, respectively, and no St. Mary’s golfer scored above 46. 

“It was fairly difficult, they had just plugged and sanded the greens, and the putting was treacherous,” St. Mary’s coach Phil Doran said after the match. “Under the conditions, they did fine.” 

With the victory over the Gauchos, St. Mary’s improved to 10-2 in the Alameda-Contra Costa Athletic League, and currently stands in second place. First-place Alameda, which has won the last 10 league titles, remains undefeated and a shoo-in for another ACCAL crown.  

Though Doran does not expect Alameda to slip up in the remainder of the league season, he is convinced his team has the depth and consistency to hold onto second place in league and possibly turn some heads on the North Coast Section seeding committee. 

“They’re all very consistent,” the coach said. “It’s a luxury for the coach to have 13 kids on a team that, depending on who we’re playing, have an opportunity to get out there and be competitive.”