October 25, 2025

Written by Chandler Sjoerdsma

CHINO HILLS: Two of the MLK Wolves returned to Los Serranos Country Club for the Big VIII League Finals on Thursday, and my oh my, did they make a showing! With the players teeing off in reverse order, Sophia Llamas was the first of the Pack to go, starting out strong with a rock-solid birdie and par save on the first two holes. She settled down after that with a string of pars, and bobbled a little bit as she hit some struggles during the middle of her round, including her rangefinder’s battery unexpectedly kaputzing. But she rallied during the last six holes of her round and finished well, shooting a final score of 171 with a Tuesday round of 83 and Thursday round of 88. She took fifth place overall in the two day tournament, placing her on the Big VIII All-League Team and advancing her to CIF Individuals.

On the other side of the coin, Sarani Yapa teed off in the final group with the leader of the tournament, Centennial’s Victoria Richani, and the reigning league medalist, Santiago’s Finley Nehei, and she was steady the entire day. Battling seasonal allergies, Sarani settled into her mechanical skill strength and shot even par 74, with sixteen pars, one bogey, and one birdie. Her back and forth with the tournament leader was a nail-biter and exciting down to the final hole, which included a fly-by by a two-seater helicopter about fifty feet overhead. Ultimately, Sarani finished with a 76-74 two day total of 150, tying for second place in league, easily securing her All-League Team patch, and launching her straight to CIF Individuals as well.

I am extremely proud of the players’ performance today. They both showed impressive mental strength and stamina during their rounds, and it was so gratifying to see the effects of our conversations with the girls about mental strategy paying off in real time on the course. With Coach Morgan (Sjoerdsma) starting her long-term subbing position this past Wednesday, it was just our voluntary assistant coach, Coach Brewer, and me at the course today, but Coach M was sending her support to our girls from afar. We will repeat this set-up on Tuesday when the girls return to Los Serranos, and I will be right behind them every step of the way.