MBHS Golf Team Swings Towards a League Win

By Adam Rainbolt -- 3/24/18

Morro Bay High School’s own Boys’ Varsity Golf team is looking to swing their way into a league win for the first time in 15 years. The small team is coached by Mr. Godsey and Ben Dougherty, travelled far and wide to earn this honor, improving their skills as individual golfers and as a team. With roots tracing back to 15th century Scotland, golf has long been considered an ‘old man’s sport:’ the chosen pastime of retirees, but these students are bringing the sport into the modern century and proving that it isn’t just for the elderly. Unlike most sports, the victor of golf match is whoever scores the least points: for Morro Bay High School’s team, the best five scores from each team are added together and the winner of the match is whichever team’s total score is the lowest.

Morro Bay High School’s most recent match was on April 16th against Orcutt Academy, where they earned a score less than Orcutt’s, meaning that they won. This game was played at home, which puts our school at an advantage: they practice here, so they are more likely to know the ideal way to play each holes (for those that don’t know, all matches are played for 18 holes, the scores of which are added together).

However, even if you attribute this match to home court advantage, Morro Bay’s success overall in the league cannot be denied. Against the eight schools in the league, Morro Bay has come out on top, having earned the first place position. The league includes the following schools: Morro Bay High School, Atascadero High School, San Luis Obispo High School, Nipomo High School, Santa Ynez Valley Union High School, Cabrillo High School, Lompoc High School, and Santa Maria High School. Morro Bay High School has had this program for many years, but hasn’t earned a victory since 2003.

What makes our school’s success even more impressive was the challenges that they’ve faced throughout this endeavor. First of all, many students do not consider golf an athletic activity that is on the same tier as massively watched sports such as football or baseball. Furthermore, golf requires huge amounts of space to be played properly, with the average size of an 18-hole golf course being 74 acres. Obviously, a high school cannot include a space of this size, so both practices and matches have to take place off campus at the Morro Bay Golf Course, which is almost 6 miles away from Morro Bay High School. This can make it difficult for students who cannot drive to get to the daily practices on time.

Together, these difficulties culminate in the varsity Morro Bay High School Boys’ Golf team being very small. Our school’s variant of team is usually played with six players at a time, with the top five scores being kept and the final one being removed from the total. However, our team includes just six players in all. Because of this, if a single player gets sick or is otherwise unable to attend the match then the worst score must be kept, putting Morro Bay High School at a disadvantage against teams which have larger teams. However, the Pirates have been able to overcome such difficulties and do something amazing this year. So far, they are not only in first place in the local golf league, but are also undefeated on one of the two days that they play every week.

The six players on the golf team are Brayden Corriea, Tyler Ray, Cameron Joller, Cash Marchant, Cody Narjarian and Mac Dougherty. Although each member of the team brings their own individual skills and personality to the course, Mac, son of Coach Ben, has proven his immense skill in particular this season. In a previous interview that can be found in the March 2018 issue of “The Spyglass,” Mac said that “[I love] beating people at the hardest sport there is...[my favorite parts are] the grind, the contention, and winning.” And winning is indeed something that he does well with an average score for “18 holes is an 84. To put this in a little perspective, that's the best in the league, and the second-best golfer averages a 91. He's 10 strokes better than the third-best golfer. He's also won 4 of the 6 all-league tournaments so far,” said Coach Mr. Godsey He has been extremely helpful to his teammates in this journey to a league win. Another notable student is Cody Najarian, the only freshman on the team. For Cody, this season has been a learning experience as he spends his first year on the team being taught more about the sport and having fun. In the future, we hope to see Cody grow into an excellent golfer along with the team.

However, these players would be nothing without the leadership and guidance of their coaches, Coach Ben, who was once in the PGA (Professional Golf Association), and Coach Godsey, who teaches English and Criminal Justice at Morro Bay High School. Talking about the team, Mr. Godsey said that “The team has done better in the standings for four straight years now -- it's been exciting to see them improve every year. This year, though, has been special since we've been able to actually contend for a title. The biggest thing has been the team's long-term commitment over the past two or three years. Each player has worked hard on his individual game, and they've gradually turned this last-place program into a first-place program. Mac Dougherty has worked especially hard all year round -- he was an average golfer as a freshman, and he has transformed himself into the league's best golfer. We've also really benefited from having Tyler Ray, who is known across the league as one of the coolest as our senior leader”

Speaking about what the team has learned, Mr. Godsey continued: “The boys have learned a lot, but I think the biggest thing is that they've seen what can happen when a team commits to an communal effort and stays loyal to each other. A couple years ago, we used to daydream and laugh about winning a league title someday. It seemed a bit ambitious at the time, but none of these boys have quit on that idea, and so here we are with a legitimate shot at winning it all...we've come a long ways with our positive mindsets, but next year I'd like them to really foster even more confidence. I want them to feel 100% excited to take the challenging shots, and be completely ready to overcome adversity.”

With several league matches still yet to come, it is not certain that Morro Bay High School will claim the trophy. However, with the way that they have been playing so far this season and their minds set on victory, it seems that a league win is more likely than not. Morro Bay High School will watch and hope as these phenomenal students and their coaches finish off the 2017/18 season.

Although Cougars scored the first touchdown of the evening, the Pirates went on to defeat the Cougars 28-12 at the Homecoming Game on Friday September 22, 2017 . Go Pirates!

Morro Bay vs. San Marcos in Football

By Shelley Asuncion--9/1/17

On Friday, September 1, the Pirates had an away game against the San Marcos Royals. Both JV and Varsity were defeated by the Royals, although there were a couple of good plays. Varsity player Myles Minnis (Senior) made three touchdown runs. Varsity coach, Coach Kelley shared what he thinks needs to happen for success in the upcoming away game against the Carpinteria Warriors, “ Be more dedicated and have more discipline and they need to have a burning desire within them.” JV player, Ariel Adame (Sophomore) agreed and added, “Our defensive line gets tired too easily. We need more conditioning.” Varsity player, Trey Dennis (Junior) also responded with, "We need to work as brothers, lift each other up, and have more energy.” Good luck to the Pirates on Friday at Carpinteria and hopefully they come back with a win.

Morro Bay Volleyball Teams Come Out Victorious Against Pioneer Valley

By Vienna Laughlin--9/1/17

With a score of 3-2, MBHS’ Varsity team screamed with joy as they obtained the winning point. Both team spirit and the number of spectators soared through the intense games until the bleachers were booming with the very essence of school spirit. On August 31, the Varsity team represented Morro Bay with athleticism unparalleled to any previously played games, they showed not only sportsmanship but the skill and talent that Morro Bay has to offer.

The Freshman team continued their winning streak as their score was 2-0 against Pioneer Valley. They’re games went by swiftly as their quick thinking and good sets allowed them to gain many points.

Junior Varsity played a total of two games, ultimately winning 2-0. The team left the crowd cheering and tense with anticipation as they battled point for point. The team came out victorious, leaving the gym full of both the team and the bleacher’s cheers.