Branson boys golf played in the MCAL championships on May 1 at Stonetree Golf Course in Novato.
The team finished fourth at the tournament, compared to a third-place finish in the regular season. The team will have a chance to avenge their loss in MCALs when they participate in the division two NCS championship on May 12 at Foxtail Golf Club in Rohnert Park.
“I hate to say it, but this was kind of a practice year, as we didn’t bring a single senior to MCALs,” said Carl Smith ‘26. “It was a great learning experience for everybody trying to go into next year. We’re the only team that’s going to retain our entire lineup next season.”
A highlight for the team was a hole-in-one by Jay Nagpal ‘25 during the regular season finale.
“A hole in one’s an accomplishment many golfers don’t achieve in their lifetime, and I’m just extremely proud of myself to be able to say I got it at 18 years old on my senior day,” said Nagpal.
The momentum the team had gained from the hole-in-one was tested when it was announced that the championship match, which was originally scheduled for April 28 would be postponed to May 1 conflicting with FAB.
“It’s hard. You can’t necessarily always blame something like that for our performance, but it definitely gets in your head,” said Smith. “We expected Branson to not let us play. Even when they allowed us to play, it was hard knowing I had to miss dance, which is something we’ve also put countless hours of work into.”
Had the school not allowed Smith and his teammate, Jack Hilleboe ‘27, to participate in the MCAL championships in lieu of attending FAB, they would not have been able to participate in the NCS tournament.
“We have three guys on the team looking to qualify farther,” Smith said. “That’s going to be me, Jack and Barry [Liu ‘26]. All of us think we have a solid chance to go through if we play well, and we think we have a good chance of winning as a team as well.”
Despite a season that they considered to be a rebuilding year, the team was able to rally around the sense of culture and camaraderie that they developed together.
“We were able to convince a lot of guys to join the team,” said Nagpal. “We were able to sell them on the team culture, which is something that I’m really proud of this year. Every practice is a place where people want to be, even when they’re not playing in matches. It’s a great time.”
Smith made it clear that the team is confident that they will succeed next season, given that their entire lineup is returning.
“We have high expectations,” he said. “I think we’re going to be the favorites to win MCAL next year.”
