Ceres High’s and Central Valley’s girls golf teams will target improvement this fall.

“We’ll be way better compared to last year,” Hawks’ senior Lucia Bernal said. “I can tell by the way practices are going. I can see potential.”

“I want to see all the girls progress,” Bulldogs’ head coach Ron Edwards said.

“We want to get better every time we’re out there,” Hawks’ leader Kelly Wheelock said.

Ceres High returns four players from a year ago, including Alysabeth Marquez (Sr.), Brooke Trio (So.), Allison Lewis (So.) and Hailey Tsurui (So.).

The Bulldogs have one newcomer in Jayda Bryant (Sr.).

Briana Tsurui, Hailey’s twin sister, and Cassydi Wright (Sr.) opted not to play this season to focus on academics.

Marquez, Trio and Lewis earned individual berths to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-IV Tournament in 2021.

Marquez will fill the No. 1 spot in Ceres High’s starting lineup for the third consecutive year.

“She’s a great player,” Edwards said. “She always wants to strive to be the best. I like that.”

Marquez joined rare company this past fall by becoming just the second girls golfer from Ceres High to earn league Most Valuable Player honors for the second time.

She followed in the footsteps of 2015 CHS grad Caitlin Pfaff, who was named Western Athletic Conference MVP her junior and sophomore years.

Marquez compiled a 13-1 record versus WAC cluster competition as a junior.

She shot a 27-over-par 98 while finishing third overall at the conference tournament on Oct. 19 at Manteca Park.

Marquez earned her first-ever berth to the Masters Tournament. She carded a 26-over-par 98 at the Reserve at Spanos Park on Nov. 1 in Stockton.

Marquez qualified for Masters after posting the fifth-best individual score at the Division-IV Championships on Oct. 25 at Stockton’s Swenson Park Golf Course. She fired a 28-over-par 100.

Marquez was the top player in the WAC last year and WAC South Division as a sophomore.

She was named co-Most Valuable Player for the 2020 WAC South season. She compiled a 5-1 record.

“Alysabeth does have a shot at being MVP for the third time,” Edwards said. “She’ll have to step up her game. There are some freshmen and sophomores in the league that are pretty good.”

Edwards expects his three sophomore players, Trio, Lewis and Tsurui, to elevate their level of play.

“They’ve come back with a different attitude,” he said. “They’re a lot more confident. They’re going to get twice as good as they are if they practice.”

Bryant rounds out Ceres High’s lineup. 

She was a late addition to the team. 

Bryant has a busy fall schedule.

“She can get a lot better but she can’t practice with the team all the time,” Edwards said. “She’s doing tennis and cross country.”

Central Valley returns three players from last season, including Lucia Bernal (Sr.), Kalaieda Bernal (So.) and Kaylee Almanza (Sr.).

Evelyn Guizar (Sr.), Micaela Martinez (Sr.), Elia Hernandez (Fr.) and Emily Mariani (Fr.) are newcomers.

Lucia and Kalaieda are cousins.

Lucia advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III Tournament as a junior.

Lina Bernal, Lucia’s sister and a Division participant, was lost to graduation.

“Lucia is a good leader and teammate,” Wheelock said. “She works hard. She has a great attitude. She doesn’t miss practices and matches. She’s improved every year.”

Ceres High and Central Valley will compete in the WAC and Central California Conference, respectively.

The Bulldogs will play against Beyer, Grace Davis, Johansen, Lathrop, Mountain House, Los Banos and Pacheco.

The Hawks will battle Patterson, Atwater, Buhach Colony, Merced, Golden Valley and El Capitan.

“The competition is great,” Edwards said. “The top three teams are usually Mountain House, Beyer and Lathrop.”

“Buhach Colony, El Capitan and Atwater will be the top three teams,” Wheelock said. 

“I don’t care if we win or lose,” Lucia Bernal said. “I’m just happy we have enough girls to play as a team and qualify for Divisionals. We have a full team this year.”

Ceres High placed fifth in the 2021 WAC overall standings, which combined results from cluster and tournament competition. The Bulldogs compiled a 6-8 record during the league’s regular season. Ceres High earned a total of 24 points.

Mountain House (14-0, 49 points), Beyer (12-2, 42 points), Lathrop (10-4, 35 points) and Pacheco (8-6, 25 points) placed first, second, third and fourth, respectively. 

Los Banos (4-10, 14 points), Johansen (0-14, 3 points) and Grace Davis (0-14, 0 points) placed sixth, seventh and eighth.

The Bulldogs posted a team score of 597 en route to a fourth-place finish at the WAC Championships. The top three schools qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-IV Tournament, including Mountain House, Beyer and Lathrop.

Ceres High took fifth during the WAC cluster season. The Bulldogs finished ahead of Los Banos, Grace Davis and Johansen.

Unable to field a full lineup due to a lack of depth, the Bulldogs dropped their final two matches via forfeit.

Central Valley didn’t enjoy team success in 2021 due to a lack of numbers.

The Hawks lost all 12 of their matches by forfeit during the CCC regular season.

Central Valley had enough players on its roster to compete but never filled a full lineup for various reasons.

“If you don’t have five players, you have to forfeit matches,” Edwards said. “The girls individual scores still count.”

“When the girls show up, we compete,” Wheelock said. “Some of the girls have other sports and activities. Golf isn’t their No. 1 priority, which is fine. It’s high school. They have a lot going on.”