Arizona’s top 10 high school golf teams

It’s a critical moment for Arizona high school golf teams as the state tournaments approach. Here are the details and this week’s team rankings.

Tournament Information

The two-day men’s Division II state tournament begins Wednesday, Oct. 30, followed by Division I a week later on Nov. 6. Both tournaments will be held at Aguila Golf Course in Laveen Village. Admission is $15 per day and children 5 and under are free.

Qualification

According to the Arizona Interscholastic Association, 12 teams and 18 individuals will qualify for the state tournament, with a total of 78 players. Teams participating in the qualifiers must have competed in at least seven rounds. Each team’s best seven rounds will be used for qualification purposes. Regardless of division finish, the top 12 placed teams will automatically qualify for the state tournament. Automatic qualifiers will be determined by iWanamaker (iWr) rankings, which use a formula that includes the team’s scores and several other factors.

For individuals to qualify, they must have competed in at least seven rounds in which the player has the best placing. Based on their individual iWr after the regular season, the top 8 players not on a ranked team will advance to the state tournament.

Here’s a look at the updated Top 10 teams as of October 22, according to the iWanamaker rankings. Team rankings are determined by player scores during 9-hole stroke play events and include DI and D-II teams.

1. Catalina Hills

The D-II Falcons from Tucson continue to sit high in the state rankings. Junior Chase Cesarek is the iWanamaker’s No. 5 golfer in the state.

2. Brophy

The 2023 Division I runner-up is ranked No. 2 in this week’s rankings. In last year’s state tournament, the Broncos lost to Hamilton by seven strokes behind a loaded lineup. Brophy graduated two of its top golfers last year but will rely on a squad led by Dylan Boenning, ranked No. 6 in the state by iWanamaker.

3. Notre Dame Prep

Last year’s Division II individual champion Landon Ashcraft led the way to the Saints, with junior Xander Mulder right behind him in 4th place. Ashcraft is ranked No. 9 nationally by the PGA National High School Golf Association for the 2023 fall season and will be bullish on that. He will lead Notre Dame to first place this year.

4. Chaparral

The Firebirds are the third Division II school in the Top 4 teams. They finished third in the state tournament as a Division I school during last year’s fall season. According to iWanamaker’s rankings this week, Hudson Ross is the catalyst for Chaparral to become Arizona’s No. 7 golfer.

5.Kasteel

The Colts finished sixth overall at the Division I state tournament last year, while Austin Bullard finished third individually. However, with Bullard graduating, Casteel will look to senior Cade Sherwood.

6.Hamilton

The defending Division I state champions move up one spot from last time to No. 6 in this week’s rankings. With the loss of Vincent Cervantes, the state’s No. 1 golfer last year, the Huskies may not be as dominant as the 2023 season, but Joseph Nelson is iWanamaker’s No. 8 golfer in Arizona.

7. Horizon

The fourth Division I team in the top 10. They have been replaced by Hamilton since our last update. The duo of seniors Brennan Korn and Nick Schaffer will try to put the Huskies on an underdog run in the two-day tournament.

8. Desert Mountain

The Wolves finished fifth in the 2023 Division II state tournament. Individually, Trey Moore pitched just three more innings than Ashcraft and carried the team into the top 5. Wolves, led by Connor Bringhurst, who are one place down in 10th as of our last update, will be hoping to pick up where Moore left off.

9. ALA Gilbert North

The Eagles were replaced by Desert Mountain in this week’s rankings. Junior Jake Goyen is the iWanamaker’s No. 2 golfer in Arizona and will undoubtedly be chasing that individual title as he leads the Eagles in this year’s Division II tournament.

10. Corona del Sol

The Aztecs finished fourth in the Division I state tournament last year. They hope to carry that momentum into the tournament behind 12th-seeded Hogan O’Malley in a few weeks.