Huntington Beach--Last year, Servite and Santa Margarita were the class of the county. This year, you have to include the Oilers. Senior Andy Anderson heads a deep squad that returns four players and will be infused with two impact players--Matt Fletcher and Joey Bennedetti. Fletcher, a senior, was No. 2 on the team as a sophomore but was academically ineligible last year. Bennedetti, a freshman, has made a name for himself on the local junior circuit.
San Clemente--Four players return for the Tritons, who finished in the top 10 at the Southern Section championships a year ago. All-South Coast League selection Casey Strohsahl leads the way a year after finishing in the top-10 at the individual regional championships. Justin Hales and Mike Nuno were the Nos. 5 and 6 on the team last year, but they posted the best Triton scores (79 and 77, respectively) at the section finals.
Aliso Niguel--Matt Schrieber, Joseph Kim and Andrew Wahlert make Wolverines a legitimate contender for the toughest league title in the county--the Sea View. Schrieber qualified for the U.S. Open Sectionals last year, Kim won two SCPGA tournaments over the summer and Wahlert is the team captain.
Sunny Hills--Irene Cho, arguably the top girl golfer in the county, plays on the boys' team because Sunny Hills doesn't have girls' golf. Put her with 2000 Southern Section runner-up Mike Rim and the Lancers should contend for a berth in the Southern Section finals once again.
Orange Lutheran--A year ago, the Lancers barely missed advancing to the Southern Section finals and made a strong showing in their own tournament by staying close with top teams such as Huntington Beach, Brea Olinda and Newport Harbor. With top player Matt Amen returning, along with Paul Imondi and John Hong, look for Orange Lutheran to arrive as a force this season.
