The defending league champs look like they could be the team to beat once again in 2026.
The local high school girls golf season officially got under way on Wednesday as the H-DNL teams headed to Beau Pre Golf Course in McKinleyville for the season-opening Beau Pre Best Ball Challenge.
The two-person scramble tournament gave the league golfers a chance to compete against each other before league play gets under way next week.
“It allows the girls that have never golfed 18 holes to golf the course and see what it’s like to play 18 holes,” Arcata head coach Troy Ghisetti said.
It was a good day for the defending league champion Del Norte Warriors, who took first place.
Returning all-league selections Jaylee Keeling and Taylor Horner posted the low score on the day, carding an 86 to pace the field.
Keeling placed second in the league standings a year ago, behind teammate and league champion Bria Larson, and she looks ready to build on that momentum this fall.
Likewise with Horner, a sophomore who enjoyed a stellar debut season in the sport as a freshman a year ago.
Horner placed sixth in the league standings in 2025.
The second best pairing of the day belonged to the Arcata Tigers, who may have the depth to challenge Del Norte for the league championship this fall and placed two pairings in the top four.
Freshman Quetzal Heacock teamed with Halie Pepper to card a 94 and finished second, followed by McKinleyville’s Ingrid Monaghan and Autumn Holeberg in third with a score of 101.
Monaghan should be among the league contenders this season after placing fourth a year ago.
Arcata’s Sophia Spitzier and Stella Mielke had the fourth best score of the day and finished just three stroke out of third with a 104.
A second McKinleyville pairing — Ava Sundberg and Ansley Bartoo — rounded out the top five with a 105, showcasing the Panthers’ team depth.
The first of seven rounds of league play takes place at Benbow next Wednesday.
