By Pete Borello

After capturing last week’s Central Coast Section championship, the St. Francis High girls golf team had a celebration that was more mild than wild.

“We had a nice drive home and went to Subway,” Lancers coach Meredith Loosse said a day after her team’s winning performance at Rancho Cañada Country Club in Carmel. “The girls had homework to do.”

The Lancers have been diligent when it comes to course work this year, including golf course work.

“They’ve worked really hard to get where they’re at right now, as far as practice and commitment,” Loosse said.

The hard work paid off Oct. 29 at the CCS championships.

“We hit our target score,” Loosse said of her team’s 360, which edged runner-up Notre Dame-Belmont by a single stroke. “I’m happy with that.”

Of the seven teams competing for the CCS title, only St. Francis had its top four players shoot under 100 on Rancho Cañada’s par-72 East Course. Although each school has six players compete, only the four best scores make up the team score.

Junior Eloise Vicencio led the Lancers with an 81, the seventh-best overall score of the day, and made what proved to be a critical shot near the end of her round.

“Eloise knocked in a birdie on 16 that definitely helped,” Loosse said. “We also finished strong: not one of our top four players three-putted the last hole.”

Sophomore Tierney Powers finished with an 88 to place 12th overall. Hazel Moore shot 93 and Tiffany Sieber 98.

“Eloise and Tiffany (Powers) did well, but I think they thought they could have shot a little lower,” Loosse said. “(Moore) and (Sieber) played well and definitely helped us out.”

The win qualified the undefeated Lancers for the Northern California Regional Championship, played Monday at Salinas Golf & Country Club. To claim the NorCal event, which finished after the Town Crier went to press, Loosse said her team would have to play even better than it did last week.

“We’ll have to lower our target score to 354,” the first-year coach said. “Hopefully if we do that, we can finish near the top or maybe win it.”