For the 18th straight year, the Jesuit Crusaders golf team won the Metro League title. Now, the Crusaders turn all of their focus towards their ultimate goal: a state title.
The Crusaders have felt confident about their chances heading into the state tournament the last two years. However, they fired their highest scores of the season on the first day of the tournament in both 2022 and 2023. Disappointing performances at Trysting Tree and Emerald Valley have fueled the experienced Crusaders towards a state run this season.
Led by captain Mason Zimmerman, the Crusaders feel they have the best squad that Jesuit has seen in recent years, and that they are ready for the state tournament held at Quail Valley on May 13th and 14th.
“We’ve got a lot of experience and feel like when we play good golf we are a very tough team to beat,” Zimmerman said. “Whole team is excited for Quail, we’ve proved to ourselves during the season that we’re a connected and determined squad.”.
Junior Joseph Ulrich claimed 2nd Team All-Metro honors.
“We’re excited. We feel like we’ve been through the good and bad together,” Ulrich said. “Having the same varsity guys as last year has made everyone confident in our ability. We all feel like we can compete with anybody in the state.”
For Jesuit, a Metro title is expected, having not lost since 2004, and winning 22 of the last 23 years. However, this year, Westview has proven to be a threat towards a potential streak ender. Led by Cal Baptist commit Andy Yang, the Wildcats won the first two league events, resulting in Jesuit needing to go on a run to defend their streak. They did.
On April 9th at The Reserve Vineyards in good conditions, the Crusaders shot 277 (-11), the second best OSAA score of all time. Senior Grady Brown shot 66, his best score of his high school career. Along with Brown, Jack Harrington and Mason Zimmerman shot 67 and 70. The Metro League record proved to the team what their potential was, and what they needed to do to get closer to reaching it every week.
“We did a great job of staying poised despite losing the first two events, and the Reserve proved to us that when we play good golf as a team we are extremely difficult to beat,” Ulrich said.
“I think everyone on the team has sacrificed individual goals for the team. We try and play for our team every week,” Zimmerman said,“All of us have had our own individual success, and we feel like state is the only thing that is left for us. We feel like we are doing the right things that will lead to success, and we’re excited to prove it at Quail.”
The Crusaders ultimately won the Metro League title at Portland Golf Club on April 29th, narrowly defeating Westview. Harrington, Brown, and Zimmerman all earned 1st Team All-Metro honors for the second year in a row, along with Ulrich earning 2nd Team Honors. Harrington and Brown were both under par for the season, and are eager to prove themselves at state in May.
“I think everyone has an understanding of what needs to be done in order to beat out some of the teams we have lost to in previous years,” Zimmerman said. “We have to keep dialing in on limiting mistakes, and playing with confidence when we are out there at Quail.”
Jesuit will enter their state run with confidence after winning the State Preview by nine strokes on April 24th. Jesuit shot 290, and put the state on notice that they will be the team to beat when May comes around.
Jesuit has two weeks off where they will practice and prepare before the state tournament starts on May 13th at Quail Valley.
