State champion Kayla Cline watches a putt during the state golf championship on Tuesday. Photo by Jaime Guzman/Kim Jew Sports Photography
The girls won their second straight state title and senior Kayla Cline was the medalist for the second straight year.
The Socorro girls led by 40 strokes after the first round and cruised to a 71-stroke victory over West Las Vegas. The Socorro boys finished seventh, led by sophomore Ryan Romero, who shot 79-79 and finished 10th.
Cline, who will play college golf next year at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., shot 81-77 to win by 14 strokes over teammate Haley Raymond, who shot 89-83.
“Considering the wind, I played really well,” Cline said. “I had a couple three-putts that made is seem bad, but with the wind, I played well.”
The girls were followed to victory by a substantial crowd of family, friends and fans. Upon their return to Socorro on Tuesday evening, they received a police escort through town.
“A lot of people were supporting us,” Cline said. “It felt really good and it was really cool.”
The Lady Warriors were the odds-on favorite to repeat as champions – and no other team presented a challenge in Las Cruces.
“I just wanted to play the course and play well,” said Cline, who played at state all five years. “It was my last state championship tournament and I just wanted to play well and I did.”
Raymond will be one of the favorites in Class 3A girls’ golf next year. She finished more than 15 strokes ahead of the third place finisher.
“I am confident Haley will be one of the top girls in the state next year,” coach Margaret Stanley-Gonzales said. “She will be a very strong force.”
The Lady Warriors finished the season with only four girls on the team, but Stanley-Gonzales expects to have at least seven girls on the team next year, including eighth-grader Kristen Cline, Kayla’s younger sister.
“We’re going to reload next year with Cline No. 2,” she said. “Her game is very similar to Kayla’s game when Kayla was an eighth-grader.”
Kayla Cline said she does not plan on playing in national junior tournaments, which she has done every summer for several years.
“I have my scholarship, so I’m going to get focused on practicing and spending time here,” she said. “I’m nervous. It’s not like I’m staying in state or even within a six-hour drive. I’m going all the way across the country.”
Cline was hooked on Winthrop after she visited the campus last fall. She had other scholarship offers in New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Washington, D.C.
The team will lose senior Brittni Romero, who shot 120-112 at state. Eighth-grader Brittani Webb is expected to be back. She shot 104-120.
For the boys, senior Brian Stanley, the lone upperclassman on the team, shot 85-90. Joe Carilli shot 92-85. Nathan Vega shot 87-91 and Randall Romero shot 92-93.
“I think in their minds, they were a little disappointed,” coach Russ Moore said. “But, all in all, their coach was satisfied with the way they played. They are a young team and the experience is immeasurable.”
Stanley, who is this year’s valedictorian, will leave the team, but the remainder of the team is freshman and sophomores.
“We’ll miss Brian Stanley’s leadership and maturity,” Moore said. “But it’s always exciting to have youngsters who think enough about the game of golf to work so hard to improve. The future is bright for Socorro boys golf.”
