Jupiter High’s boys and girls golf teams participated in the state finals at Mission Inn Resort and Club in Howey-In-The-Hills from Nov. 10-11.
The boys team ended up finishing fifth overall in states, which is not as good as they were hoping for.
“We played our worst match of the year and we could have won it if we played better,” Talan Wilkes, junior, said.
The boys had a successful regular season, placing second in districts and first in regionals.
“We won all of our matches in the season. We lost by two [strokes in districts] because we didn’t really do as good as we could have but we made up for it,” Tristan Wieland, junior, said.
The team dedicates their success this season to their rigorous practice schedule.
“We practiced for about two and a half hours for four days a week,” Wieland said. “It helped us a lot because we got to spend more time together as a team and we could help each other with our game.”
Bruce Wasserman, boys head coach, has a love for the game that has spread passion to his players.
“I love the game. Being on a nice golf course is the best place to spend time,” Wasserman said. “I coach a great group of kids who are also excellent golfers.”
The girls finished 10th out of 17 in the state championships, which is lower than they were expecting.
“We collectively did worse than we should have. Our goal was to be in the top five and the team we beat in regionals ended up in second,” Makenna Bernstein, junior, said.
Corbin Christoffers, senior, believes their great season can be traced back to their head coach.
“We are truly so lucky to have a coach with such determination and commitment to the team as Emily Valentine has,” Christoffers said. “She always shows up to practice with a smile and is a big part of the culture our team has created throughout the season.”
Bernstein feels the team culture was a major help to them throughout the season.
“Because golf is an individual sport, it’s nice to have a structure of girls that want the same goals as you,” Bernstein said.
