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Updated May 3rd, 2007
LCHS
Golf
Arboleda Leads LC to First
Undefeated Season Since 1982
 
La Cañada High School’s Anton Arboleda (left) led his team with a two-under-par 32 while teammate
Brian Veeh (right) also finished in the top five last Thursday against San Marino.
By ANDREW CAMPA
LCF Outlook
It was about 15 minutes prior to
the start of last Thursday’s Rio
Hondo League finale against visiting
San Marino that La Cañada
High School varsity golf coach
Richard Tetu began to let the idea
creep in.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had an
undefeated season before at all, at
least in the time I’ve been here,” the
fifth-year coach said. “But I shouldn’t
say anything about going undefeated.
We’re playing a match today
and I can’t jinx myself.”
Neither superstition or supershooter
could stop the Spartans
Thursday afternoon at the La
Cañada Flintridge County Club.
Led by surprising freshman
Anton Arboleda, the Spartans easily
defeated their rivals, 180-210, to
clinch the program’s first undefeated
season (16-0 overall, 8-0 in
league) since 1982.
“This team is extremely wellbalanced,”
Tetu said. “They have a
lot of depth. We have 23 kids on this
team. Any of the 10 top can beat
each other.”
While the Spartans boast a solid
and evenly matched crew, there is
little doubt that Arboleda is LC’s
top talent.
The freshman was the lone
golfer to score under par, finishing
with a match-best 32, two shots
under par.
“We’ve had a couple of kids,
like David Lipsky (2006 LCHS
graduate) at Northwestern, that
have led the team since their freshman
year. So it’s not too unusual,”
Tetu said. “This kid, though, is
unusual. He has tremendous course
management and great distance for
his size. My god, you could put him
in your pocket. He’s the smallest
player out there.”
The 5-foot-6 Arboleda only
received slight competition and that
was from teammate Fletcher Sams.
The junior shot even par and
joined Arboleda as the only two
golfers to finish at par or better.
“We have so many good shooters
on this team,” said junior Grant Higa, the team’s No. 3 golfer. “This
is the most talented team I have
been on.”
Other solid performances were
turned in by sophomores Brian Veeh (37) and Mike Perry (38).
Overall, the Spartans earned four of
the top five spots on the day, with
only San Marino’s Curtis Fu (third,
35) breaking through.
“It’s a good feeling going undefeated,” Veeh said. “Last year we
kind of had hopes of doing that. But
this year we actually did it. It’s a
good feeling and we’re excited to
hopefully go far in CIF.”
Having never really been challenged
throughout the season, Veeh
and company have been looking
forward to the postseason.
“We’ve gotten better since last
year,” Veeh said. “We’re a young
team and very optimistic. Our goal
is to go to CIF and win and I think
we can do that.”
In becoming only the second
team believed to go undefeated in
LCHS history, the 2007 Spartans
join the ranks of the 1982 Spartans,
who finished 14-0 under coach Bill
Slaughter and claimed seventh
place at CIF Finals, the highest finish
in school history.
This year’s squad also ties the
record for most wins in a season
with Slaughter’s 1987 team which
went 16-4. That group went on to
win the CIF-Central Regional prelims
and finished 11th overall at
CIF finals.
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