Bruins took the top seven places at the Moore League finals during a truly dominant season.
The boys golf team from Wilson High could not have been much more dominant in 2012.
The Bruins went 10-0 in the Moore League. They won the Glendora Invitational, finished second at the Servite Invitational and Champions Invitational and were third at the Knabe Cup.
In postseason play, Wilson won the CIF-SS Southern Team Divisional, was second at the CIF Team Final and was the only area team to qualify for the SCGA Southern State Regional, where the Bruins tied for seventh.
Those accomplishments alone would have been enough for Wilson's Jeff Evans to be selected as the Press-Telegram Dream Team Coach of the Year.
But it was at the 72-hole Moore League Individual Finals where Wilson's dominance was most obvious, and where Evans secured the honor. In unprecedented fashion, Wilson golfers claimed the first seven places and swept the automatic CIF individual berths that are awarded to the top six finishers.
Senior Andrew Morgan claimed the title at 12-under-par 276 - the second-best score in tournament history - and was followed by teammates Harold Calubid, Chase Nicolai, Nick Gregor, Austin Orkin, Ryder Epson and Jack Hayes.
"This was our best season since I've been here at Wilson," said Evans, in his seventh season at Wilson's helm. He scheduled nonleague matches and invitationals against some of Southern California's toughest competition on difficult courses to prepare his team for the postseason grind.
"They
rose to the occasion every time this year."Morgan was clearly Wilson's top player, but any one of the six in the lineup could post a low score. Calubid finished second at the Moore League finals and shot 73 at the CIF Individual Finals to finish tied for 12th and qualify individually for the SCGA Southern State Regional. Nicolai added top-five finishes at the CIF Team Divisional and Team Final.
"It took everyone being willing to step up and perform, one through six," Evans said. "It can't be just two guys.
"I knew anybody could go under par in any round," Evans continued. "We had a strong group this year that could do that."
Morgan and Nicolai - who will attend UC Berkeley and Loyola Marymount, respectively, next year on golf scholarships - were the only seniors on the team, and Calubid and his younger teammates now have a wealth of experience.
"I feel like they all have a good game," Morgan said. "Each one stepped up at a different time during the year. It was good to see that."
Wilson showed its potential early in the season with strong finishes against top Orange County programs. A third-place finish at the annual Knabe Cup only added confidence, and the Bruins entered postseason play with plenty of momentum. They won the CIF Southern Team Divisional by five shots and were second at the CIF Team Final out of 21 teams to only Santa Margarita, which finished the season fifth at the state final.
"I knew we were good," Evans said. "It was just a matter of, could they rise to the occasion at the right time, and this group continued to do that."
Morgan, a four-year varsity player, feels as if he's gotten a head start on his golf future by playing for Evans.
"It's been really great," he said. "I can't think of any other coach I'd want to play for. He's like a college coach."
david.felton@presstelegram.com
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