Head coach Mark Cammarene and at least two of the seven boys on the Vero Beach High School golf team share in a belief that this group is destined to make a strong bid for the FHSAA Class 3A Florida State Championship in October.
The scoring averages across the board support that outlook, so let’s go out on a short limb and say the entire team buys in.
“This is my sixth year coaching at VBHS and this is the best team that I have ever had,” Cammarene said. “What is unique about this team is that I have seven boys and a few weeks ago my number seven shot 1 under par. So essentially we are very deep.
“I think that is the key to eventually winning the state championship. When your number five or six guy can come up with a good score, it somewhat takes the pressure off the top guys.
“Absolutely we are vying for a state championship. So far we have faced some pretty good competition in tournaments. We are a 3A school and we have yet to be beaten by a 3A school. We finished second in a couple of tournaments but that was to smaller private schools, which traditionally have a little more talent than some of the 3A schools.
“So I think we are trending in the right direction. We are strong, we are deep.”
As of last week the nine-hole averages stacked up like this: Beck Fox leads with 34, followed by Austin Aliff 35, Carter Dalili 36, James Fischer 36, Ryan Moylan 37, Bryce Hauser 38 and Ben Wiggins 40.
This team will be well prepared when the district tournament opens on Oct. 11, weather permitting. The weekend before, VBHS will participate in the Honda High School Invitational at PGA National against some of the best teams from Florida and out-of-state.
The Honda Invitational is obviously prestigious, but the preparation for every meet starts right here on our local courses.
“Our practice schedule is unique for high school golf,” Cammarene explained. “We practice at a different club every day. When you play at the same place day in and day out, you tend to put it on autopilot. We are really fortunate and lucky with the clubs here in Vero Beach that open up their doors to the high school golfers.
“I’ve seen the benefits of it. My guys are sharp and they are ready to play. As a group, ball-striking is our strength. From top to bottom these guys are able to hit a golf ball as far as anybody in the state. The area we continue to work on – and where I know we can get better – is from 100 yards in. That’s the scoring zone.”
Two freshmen have fit right in like old pros. Ryan Moylan and Carter Dalili were certainly not novices just learning the game.
“I’ve been playing golf since I was 2,” Moylan said. “My dad got me into the sport and I’ve been focusing on golf pretty much my entire life. It’s awesome playing on this team. I love it every day. We have great camaraderie.
“You can definitely do something to get motivated for really tough competition. Just being around my teammates gives me a good vibe. You can absolutely zone everything out and just focus on what you need to do to help the team.
“The short game from 120 yards in is my strongest suit. I need to work on my longer irons because I get a little wayward with those sometimes. But overall I would say that I’m a pretty well rounded player.
“The state title, yes, I want it to happen. We are going to try our hardest and we are going to make it happen. I think.”
Carter Dalili started playing golf when he was 6 and already has the U.S. Kids World Championship and Quail Valley Club Championship to his credit.
“I try to bring everything that I can and practice as hard as I can so we can have a chance at winning states this year,” Dalili said. “I practice with my teammates as much as I can even when we are not formally practicing for the school team.
“I’ve known everybody on the team for so long that I really feel comfortable with them on the golf course. If you’re having some trouble and you have no clue what to do, sometimes you can get some powerful insight from one of your teammates.”
It’s safe to say nobody here is clueless. State finals start the week of Oct. 24.
