Early season match between Hamilton, Brophy sets tone for boys Arizona high school golf season

An early season showdown between the top two finishers in last year's Arizona boys high school golf championship helped set the tone for the rest of this season.

Hamilton High School and Brophy Prep faced off on Aug. 25 at Phoenix Country Club in a rematch of two top teams that know each other well and are expected to vie for the title in Division I again this fall.

Hamilton won the 9-hole match by two strokes. On the par 36 course, the Huskies put up a team score of 146. Brophy finished with 148. Perry High, the third team in the match, finished wih a team core of 153.

Brophy junior Tyler Spielman had the best individual score in the match, shooting 3-under for the round. Reigning individual state champion, Hamilton's Vincent Cervantes, came in second place at  2-under for the round.

Brophy head coach, Jon Shores, was satisfied with his team's effort.

"We didn't have our best stuff today but the guys are working hard and grinding and tried to salvage their round,'' he said.

Hamilton head coach, Steve Kanner predicted Brophy will be a top competitor all season once again.

"We were pretty tight with Brophy as expected. Its their home course so we expect them to hang in there and we played good,'' he said.

"I think anytime we can play against Brophy it's a good thing. It pushes us to get an idea of where we stand against one of the best teams in the state,"  Kanner added.

In Division I, Hamilton is looking to continue their dominance over the sport. The Huskies have won three straight state championships and are looking to continue their streak.

Hamilton will have plenty of help thanks to Cervantes, who won the state indivdiual championship last year. He set a statHe's joined by Anawin Pikulthong and Wyatt Chapman, who both were in the top four individual scores in the championship.

"I want to beat the same record I broke last year. Hopefully win two (individual) championships in a row," said Cervantes. "We want to get the four-peat and have a great time doing it."

Hamilton did, however, lose the 2020 boys individual state champion Mahanth Chirravuri, who graduated and was a key part of their three titles.

After coming in second place in each of the last three years against Hamilton, Brophy is looking to win another state championship for the first time since 2018.

The Broncos are led by Spielman and and senior Charlie Palmer, who did not participate in Aug. 25 match. Both were top-10 in scoring last season and were the leaders on that team.

"I'm looking forward to our team getting better as a group,'' Shores said. "We are immensely talented and I want them to play with confidence and humility."

Despite their being two heavy favorites to make the state championship again, coaches and players at both Brophy and Hamilton say to look out for other competitive teams such as Liberty, which finished among the top 5 in the state team finals last year.

Red Mountain and Desert Vista also finsihed in the top 5 and are expected to return strong teams again this season.

Division II

In Division II, Williams Field is looking to build on their dominant peformance in the 2021 state tournament, which they won by 19 strokes. Key returning golfers include senior Eli Asolas, who was crucial in the team's title run last year. He finished fourth in  2021 individual scoring at state.

Williams Field will face plenty of strong competition.

At Oro Valley's Ironwood Ridge, junior Brasen Briones, is looking to continue his strong high school career after placing first individually as a sophomore at the state championships last season. His team finished fifth at the team state finals last year.

Last years runner-up, Scottsdale Saguaro, is looking to take the title they were so close to in 2021. Junior Oscar Uribe, is coming back after finishing eight strokes behind Briones at the state tournament. Uribe was one of the best golfers in Arizona last season as he was the division's fourth-best scorer on 9-hole rounds.

Notre Dame and Arcadia, which finsihed fourth and fifth at state last year, also are expected to bring tough competition again this year.

The Arizona boys golf season will conclude at the state championship at Omni Tucson National on the Sonoran course. Division I will play their tournament Oct. 26-27 and Division II will play the next week on Nov. 2-3.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hamilton High School and Brophy Prep faceoff in early golf match