Mountain View golfers aim for glory

Saints hoping to earn a shot at 2A state tournament

SR/GV/AN/VIEW--Mountain View Christian's Kris Sorensen watches his shot off the tee at a match against The Meadows and Needles (Calif.) at Wildhorse Golf Course in Henderson on May 2. Sorensen fired a 74 to tie with Needles' J.J. Johnson for third in the match.--View photo Henry Vargas.

Heading into the Nevada Class 2A Southern League Boys Golf Championship on May 12 at the Rivers Edge Golf Course in Needles, Calif., Mountain View Christian School golf coach Paul McClanahan had high expectations for his team, which had just wrapped up its best regular season ever due in great part to the dazzling play of freshman Kris Sorensen.

But a great regular season in high school sports always culminates with the playoffs, and that's what McClanahan was aiming for -- a playoff berth in the Nevada State High School Boys Championship tournament, which begins today and wraps up Thursday at the Genoa Lakes Golf Club near Reno.

To qualify as a team for state, the Saints would have to have placed in the top three of seven teams in the Southern Regional, which likely meant a showdown for that third and final spot with West Wendover, according to McClanahan.

"As a team we averaged 550 last season for five players and we're averaging 440 this year," McClanahan said. "And that's with two freshmen starting. The Meadows and Needles will likely win the top two spots and we should be fighting West Wendover, who averages 450 strokes as a team, for the last spot."

If MVCS did earn that third spot -- results were unavailable at press time -- then McClanahan and his team would be in a position to win the school's first-ever golf state title.

McClanahan was confident his squad could earn that third and final spot at state.

"We know without a doubt that we're going with at least two individuals, but we believe we're going as a team," he said.

McClanahan said he recognized that winning the team title would be difficult, especially against three-time defending state champion The Meadows.

"The Meadows is definitely the team to beat," McClanahan said. "I honestly think they could beat a lot of 4A teams."

The Saints have a tremendous obstacle in The Meadows while pursuing the team title, but Mountain View has a better shot at gaining state-wide notoriety if Sorensen could claim the individual title, which also would be a first for the school.

McClanahan thinks his young star is up for the challenge.

"Kris Sorensen is one of the best golfers in the state and he's only a freshman," the coach said. "Currently in the Southern (League) he's tied for third place. He's actually won a few matches outright. In our very first match this year at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, Kris won the match. He actually tied with Mike Wynn, who is a senior from The Meadows, and he beat last year's (state) champ by one stroke.

"With the experience, I would have to say definitely Mike Wynn and J.J. Johnson of Needles are the two individuals to beat at state. But Kris, even as a freshman, has an outside chance. And Scott Lewis from The Meadows, he's a sophomore ... those four in the Southern (League) are just always battling amongst one another. And I think it's obviously really cool that Kris is just a freshman and he's gaining all this experience."

MVCS's second-best golfer also was the star on the Saints basketball team, senior Alan Izawa.

Having freshman Sorensen join the squad this season was a great thing for Izawa, according to McClanahan.

"Alan's playing a lot better than he ever has," McClanahan said. "I think he likes the fact that it's all on Kris now. That pressure is off him. I think the pressure he felt being No. 1 last year hurt him a bit. He wasn't as effective as he has been this year."

Continuing the youth movement at Mountain View is freshman Corey Rosecrans, who along with Sorensen will make MVCS a team to watch for the next three years.

"Although we lose (Alan) Izawa next year, a really cool thing is we have another freshman coming along," McClanahan said. "He and Kris have gotten real close and I think through that Corey has really developed a respect for the game. And Kris is kind of like mentoring him, not just in golf, but also socializing at school. I think Corey, in his first match, shot a 129 and in our most recent match he shot a 90."

Sophomore Robert Hernandez, who McClanahan said "is really starting to make some progress," and senior Nick Connors are the two other golfers in the Saints' top five and will be instrumental for MVCS should the entire team have qualified for state.

The other four golfers on the Saints squad are an eclectic mix, including sophomore Chandler LeBeouf and freshmen Randall Gunn, Logan Williams and Nina Santiano -- the first girls golfer in MVCS history.

McClanahan said Santiano's spot on the team has opened the eyes of a lot of other girls who may end up giving the links a try.

"As a result, I've got a lot of girls who want to come out for golf next year," he said.

But next year is a long way away. For now, McClanahan would love to see Sorensen's name atop the list Thursday night when the 2A individual champ will be crowned.

"Kris is a real special kid," McClanahan said. "Kris doesn't know defeat and it's not arrogance. It's just that he's been so confident in his abilities since he started playing the game that he just doesn't think he can lose."