Four Royals shoot 75 in big upset over Dons

Coach Dave Siordia had a lunch meeting with his San Marcos golf team on Tuesday, a few hours before their match at Sandpiper with mighty Santa Barbara High.

“I’m a huge sports fan, and we were talking about March Madness and how the best part about it is the Cinderella stories. I told them that this time, we could be the Cinderella story,” recalled Siordia.

The Royals promptly put on their glass slippers and fired a remarkably consistent round to hand the Dons their first Channel League loss in four years, 376-380. Santa Barbara’s Jack Perry was the medlaist with an even-par 72, but four Royals — Kyle Rieb, John Etsell, Scott Bradford and Dodge Ward — shot 75. Thayer White was close behind with a 76.

“I’ve never seen a team play so solid and consistent one through five,” said Siordia. “We knew that Jack was going to be the medalist, but we were fine we that. We knew we could still beat them.”

Rieb, a senior who had never beaten the Dons in his career, was coming off of two wind-hampered rounds in which he failed to break 90.

“I really feed off the competitiveness with Santa Barbara, especially Jack Perry,” he said. I’m super pumped up. I believed we could do it, but when it actually happens it’s a whole different thing.”

Ray Gerow shot a 75 for the Dons, while Shane Lebow and John Baur each had rounds of 77.

While it was only the first league match of the season, Siordia knows it send a statement to the rest of the conference, which is stacked with talent.

“It helps when you beat the best team in the league. Maybe people will take us a little more seriously now. It just proves that we can compete and that we have a solid team,” he said.

The Royals are now 3-1, 1-0 while the Dons fall to 7-2, 0-1.

SAN MARCOS 376, SANTA BARBARA 380

at par-72 Sandpiper GC

Medalist — Jack Perry, SB, 72

SM — Kyle Rieb 75, John Etsell 75, Scott Bradford 75, Dodge Ward 75, Thayer White 76.

SB — Shane Lebow 77, Ray Gerow 75, John Baur 77, Sean Searls 79.