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Servite boys golf coach Dane Jako forecasted early in the spring that he might have one of his strongest teams.
On Tuesday, the Friars proved their veteran leader correct.
Servite united to card a 1-under-par 359 to claim the CIF-SS Division 1 title by two strokes over Sunny Hills at El Dorado Park Golf Course in Long Beach.
In leading Servite to its eighth section team title, junior Eason Chen and freshman Jasper Zhou each shot 2-under-par 70 and junior Eamon Chen added an even-par 72. Seniors Hanks Wang and Noah Cardenas completed a tight pack with scores of 73 and 74, respectively.
“Today,” Jako said, “they played for one another, never wanting to let other teammate down.”
“Most people do not think of golf as a team sport but at Servite, it is always about the team and your teammate first and any personal stuff second.”
Servite outdistanced Sunny Hills (1-over-par 361) and 2025 champion La Serna (362) at the top of the leaderboard for its first section title since 2019.
The top-10 teams in Division 1 earned automatic spots in Thursday’s CIF-SCGA qualifying tournament at River Ridge Golf Club in Oxnard.
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The other teams earning spots were Mater Dei (369), Portola (373), San Marcos (374), Crespi (374), Los Alamitos (375), El Segundo (377) and Corona del Mar (377).
Mater Dei’s Brayden Jones shot an 8-under-par 64 with seven birdies and an eagle to earn medalist honors.
The reigning O.C. player of the year recorded an eagle on the par-5, 520-yard fourth hole.
Sunny Hills senior Cole Kim finished second at 67 with five birdies.
Undefeated Santa Margarita finished just outside the Top 10.
Servite lost twice Santa Margarita in the Trinity League.
Last season, the Friars missed the playoffs after being co-champion with Santa Margarita in league. They lost the league tiebreaker for an automatic spot and didn’t receive an at-large berth.
“They started this journey back in September with a 6 a.m. workouts,” Jako said of his players. “This is when they bonded and came together as a team. They have had their share of disappointments but also have done a lot of great things this year.”
“I’ve never been prouder of one of my teams as I was today,” added the coach, who is in his 26th season.
On Monday, Crean Lutheran claimed the Division 3 with a score of 388 at Los Serranos Golf Club. Last season, the Saints were the runner-up in Division 4.
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