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When a high school team improves its record dramatically from one year to the next, the reasons are usually found in the maturation of players as they gain experience. But for the Berkeley High boys’ golf team, which will likely claim a share of the league title after winning just one match last season, there are three factors for the improvement, and none of them are carried over from last year. 

Probably the biggest reason for the team’s 7-1 record in the newly-formed Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League is an infusion of talent from the middle school level. Of the seven players who perform in league matches for the ’Jackets, four are freshmen. In all, coach Evan Nik Dang has six freshmen on the 12-man squad this year. That’s a pretty big step up from last season, when the team had a hard time putting together a five-man team for some matches. 

“Last year, we knew we didn’t have a chance of winning, so a lot of times people didn’t show up,” said junior Adam Breckler, the only current player who was on last year’s team. “This year, with so many guys being competitive for spots, we can concentrate on winning more.” 

That winning has undoubtedly been made easier by Berkeley’s switch from the ultra-competitive East Bay Athletic League to the ACCAL. The EBAL was full of teams from the suburbs, where golf is much more prevalent than in the urban schools of the ACCAL. In fact, only five of the nine ACCAL members even field a boys’ golf team. 

Berkeley’s main competition for the league title this year is Alameda. Berkeley has already completed the season series with the Hornets, with each team winning at its home course. Neither team has lost another league match. Both figure to win their remaining matches as well, which would leave them in a tie for the title. 

In addition to their league matches, the ’Jackets have had a chance to play at some of the best courses on the west coast, including Spyglass, Hidden Brook and Oakhurst. Those opportunities came via Dang, who is in his first year of coaching the team. 

Dang is a Berkeley High graduate (Class of ’74), and was hired shortly before the current season. That left him little time to put together a schedule for the team, but he did an admirable job, getting the team into two tournaments and dates at some great courses. As a result, there were 25 golfers at team tryouts, and Dang had the luxury of keeping the best 12, a big improvement from last season. 

“Being hired at the last minute, I had to scramble for a schedule,” Dang said. “But we got some great courses and good tournaments, which I’m sure helped attract more players.” 

Those players produced good results at the tournaments, as the ’Jackets finished third in San Leandro and sixth in Brentwood. 

The freshmen who made the team include Samson Taka Holmes, whose brother was last season’s best player. Samson saw his brother go through tough times during his Berkeley High career, and is grateful he doesn’t have to endure the same. 

“It’s a totally different atmosphere this year,” he said. “Everyone really wants to play this year.”