Panthers golf clinches 3rd straight EYL title

In Porterville High’s quest for EYL spring supremacy, the school’s swim team kicked things off with Saturday’s swim meet victory.

And after sealing its third straight league championship Tuesday afternoon, the Panthers golf squad is now on board.

All that’s left is for the track, baseball and softball squads to make it a league-wide sweep.

Porterville’s No. 2 player Kris Kennel led all golfers with a tournament-low score of 70 after carding a 34 on the front nine.

Fellow Panthers Mikey McGinn shot a 71 and Nate Jessup netted 74 to finish in second and third place and anchor a dominant team score of 371 over second-place Tulare Western (407 points).

“I’m very happy with the scores,” Porterville coach Lynn Enos said. “One through six, we're probably one of the strongest teams in the Valley, so hopefully we can just hold on.”

Hold on, that is, for the next level of play. The Panthers aren’t done by any means, as they will head to next Tuesday’s area tournament along with Western and Monache, who finished with 449 points.

Though Kennel repeated as the tournament’s top golfer after winning it last year, the senior felt he had plenty left in the tank.

“It wasn’t my best performance today,” said Kennel, whose personal best in 18 holes is a 64. “I should’ve been around a 65, but I 3-putted on the 18th. I had only 20 putts, though, and I usually average 25 or 26.”

McGinn’s 71, however, may be the one that impressed Enos the most.

“Mikey stepped up for us,” Enos said of the Panthers’ No. 4. “He’s continually gotten better after he was in the sixth spot for so long.”

Enos’ only concern heading into next week is her squad’s tendency to fluctuate above and below par too much for her taste.

“We need to be more consistent,” she said. “They seem to recover really well, though. If they get a bogey on one hole, they seem to come back with a birdie here or there. But I think we’ll be fine.”

Monache coach Chris Likewise had similar questions about his team by Tuesday night.

“We haven’t played very well the last few weeks,” said Likewise, whose Marauders finished third during the regular season. “We need to find our groove again before area. But at this point in the season, we should be more consistent.”

Monache’s No. 1 Gerrad Williams checked in at a 79 and kicked himself for shooting several strokes below his average score.

“I should’ve done better than that,” Williams said. “The irons were fine, but I couldn’t hit the fairway or make the short putts.”

The sophomore still did his part while the rest of the team finished at least 10 strokes behind him.

“We had three guys in this tournament for the first time,” Likewise said of his roster that boasts just one senior. “So they might be a little nervous, I’m not sure.”

Weston Roberts and Anthony Hernandez each turned in an 89 while Marauders’ No. 2 player Evan Thomas inexplicably shot a season-worst 90 on the league’s big stage.

“I always mess up in this tournament,” Evans said. “I shot one worse last year. Everything went wrong today. It was awful and I don’t know why.”

Likewise might have had an answer for the junior.

“He just blew up,” the coach said. “He was playing well and then he fires up a 90. When you come out wearing a pair of Vans and a headband looking like you just got out of ‘Flashdance,’ that’s what you’re gonna shoot.”

Porterville’s Quinn Proctor finished with a 79 and Barrett Schortman shot a 77 to give the Panthers four medalists in the top six.

Granite Hills’ Joel Jacuinde led the Grizzlies with an 83.

The EYL area tournament will kick off at 10 a.m. next Tuesday at River Island Golf Course.