By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com

AMERICAN CANYON – Jaxen Perryman and Tyler Momono are having the time of their life playing on the men's golf team at Napa Valley College.

As freshmen, they have gone about helping the Storm win the Big 8 Conference North Division championship. Along the way, the Storm has also won seven tournaments during the conference season and have emerged as one of the top teams in Northern California.

"It's been great. Not playing competitive golf all last semester and being able to come here, being able to kind of show what I can do out on the golf course, it's been a lot of fun for me," said Perryman, a mid-semester transfer from Cuesta College-San Luis Obispo.

"And just on top of all of that, winning the Big 8 Conference (North Division), helping out with that, it's pretty cool. It's been a good time. I'm excited to come back next year and do it again, and to finish out strong this year, too."

It's been a great experience – all the work that has gone into the spring season – for Momono.

"It's been fun with all the guys, especially with Nick (DeBellis), who I played in high school with, and then getting to know Markus (Nanpei) and Matthew (Commander). Those are two guys that I really enjoy playing with as well," said Momono.

Perryman and Momono will be in the lineup, playing in the Nos. 4 and 6 spots, when Napa Valley plays in the California Community College Athletic Association-Northern California Regional Championships, May 5 and 6, at Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland. It's an eight-team event, with the top four teams advancing to the CCCAA State Championships, May 12-13, at Sandpiper Golf Club, in Goleta (Santa Barbara County).

"The talent is there, for sure. It's just about putting it all together at the same time," said Momono. "The keys are definitely keeping the tee shots in play and out of the trees. Because you get behind trees, it can be tough to make pars. And then there's some tricky greens where they're pretty sloped.

"I think all of our games fit in well at Yolo (Fliers Club)."

Nanpei, named as the Big 8 North Division Most Valuable Player, will play in the No. 1 spot in the Storm's lineup, with Commander in the No. 2 spot. They are the Storm's only sophomores.

"What they've been doing all year is enjoying themselves, enjoying playing the game of golf, and trying to be the best they can on every hole," coach Bob Freschi said, before a practice on Thursday at Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards, the Storm's home course.

DeBellis, a freshman, will play in the No. 3 spot. Brayden Dixon, also a freshman, is in the No. 5 spot.

Anthony Guiomar, a redshirt freshman, will travel with the team. He'll be ready to sub-in, if necessary, said Freschi.

Commander and DeBellis were each named Big 8 North Division All-Conference.

The field for NorCals, a two-day, 36-hole event, consists of Napa Valley, Sierra College-Rocklin, San Joaquin Delta College-Stockton and Modesto Junior College from the Big 8 North Division, and Reedley College, Fresno City College, San Jose City College and Taft College from the South Division.

The top three teams will be presented with awards. The top six individual placers will earn All-NorCal honors and also receive awards.

Six players outside of those qualifying teams will also advance to state.

"We're built for this moment of how we go upon our matches and tournaments," said Freschi. "When we play on Sunday, it's no bigger than when we were out here for Big 8 tournament No. 12. You're trying to be the best you can on every hole and be disciplined.

"It's meeting the criteria off the tee, your approach shots, around the green and putting – those are the four main categories we talk about. You've got to be able to execute on each hole and then get it done in the 36 holes on Sunday, Monday. And just enjoy it.

"It's going to be difficult. You've got to earn the right to get to the state championship."

Napa Valley played a practice round on Wednesday at Yolo Fliers Club, a par-72, 6,894-yard course. Play will be from the Black tees. Tee times start at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 5. There is an 11 a.m. shotgun start on Monday, May 6.

"We've played it a few times, and we've gotten to know the course layout really well. So, I think we can go out and win," said Guiomar.

Yolo Fliers Club, a private club that was founded by O.W.H. Pratt in 1919, is a "classic course, laid out with tree-lined fairways including many large, beautiful specimen Valley Oaks," the club's website, yolofliers.com, points out.

"From any tee, the golf course provides a chance for challenges of the game with a mixture of wide fairways, large, subtly sloped greens, well-placed bunkers and of course, the rough and a variety of mature trees. The course is recognized by both the USGA (U.S. Golf Association) and NCGA (Northern California Golf Association) as a championship venue.

"In 2006, all greens were rebuilt in to USGA specifications by noted golf course architect Brad Bell and have been recognized by many as some of the best putting surfaces in the Sacramento Valley. Similarly, nearly all the bunkers have been rebuilt recently to enhance the esthetics and challenges of the course."

Napa Valley will be looking for a big turnaround after placing fifth in an eight-team field during a Big 8 Conference neutral event on Monday at Copper River Country Club in Fresno. All eight teams from the Big 8 Conference played in the event. Napa Valley had a 406-team score.

"We use that as a learning tool of what we experienced and what we went through. We flushed it," said Freschi. "We've had a couple of good days of practice."

The goal for NorCals is to win and advance to state, said Freschi. It's also to compete on every hole and to have the mindset of taking it one hole at a time.

"That's their goal. That's the objective, to understand it's a 36-hole event, and understand how to be disciplined in the execution and what we're asked to do on a daily basis to be successful at this level. It can't be won on the first day. It can be lost on the first day," said Freschi.

The greens at Yolo Fliers present a tough test, due to that they are rolling fast, said Freschi.

"It's understanding the greens and the green complexes and where to put yourself in the best position for your putt," Freschi pointed out. "There's some holes that are more demanding. Again, it's being disciplined in our game and ball striking abilities, and then enjoying it and being in the right frame of mind to compete the best you can to win a NorCal championship."

Napa Valley will travel on Saturday, using the driving range and practice green at Yolo Fliers.

Napa Valley's freshman class is a very talented group that has been an important key to the team's success.

"It's a great group. They have really matured as the season has gone on," said Freschi. "It takes a while to understand our philosophy here in our Storm golf program. Just to see them develop and mature, it's quite impressive. They have the physical skills, the ability. And now we just want to support their physical game and get them better, better mentally to compete out here on a daily basis."

Being mentally tough and strong will be key at NorCals, said Perryman.

"Every hole matters. But if you do end up having a blowup hole, you need to be able to get over that and be able to move on. You need to just be able to let it go. And that's going to be the key to being able to qualify for states," said Perryman.

It's also taking one hole, one shot at a time, focusing on the shot at hand.

"Just focus on yourself. Just think of playing the best golf you can. I think focusing just present moment will be the key," said Perryman.

A big confidence boost for the Storm was winning Big 8 tournament No. 12 at Chardonnay and being presented with the North Division championship plaque. It was a super day of golf for the Storm, which won the tournament, shooting a 379-team score. Commander led the way, shooting a season-low 3-under-par 69 and earning individual low medalist honors. Nanpei was next, shooting a 2-over-par 74. Next was DeBellis with a 4-over-par 76 and then Perryman with a 7-over-par 79.

"I know that competitiveness is within all of us to be able to go out and play well," said Guiomar. "You've got to work hard. And hopefully, we can put it all together and work as a team, not give up. Go out there and grind."

The importance of the mental game and having the right attitude has been emphasized by Freschi all season.

"I think (Freschi's) done a good job of trying to ingrain that mentality of one shot at a time and you can't let the past affect you," said Guiomar. The Southern California Regional is May 5-6 at Rio Bravo Country Club in Bakersfield.

* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.