Napa Valley College's DeBellis, Pepito advance to state men's golf championships
First photo: Nick DeBellis is shown for the Napa Valley College men's golf team during the spring season.
Photos by Marty James
By MARTY JAMES
The 2025 team season for Napa Valley College men's golf ended on Tuesday, with the Storm losing in a card-off tiebreaker for the fourth and final qualifying spot at the California Community College Athletic Association-Northern California Regional at the Half Moon Bay Golf Links.
But for the Storm, the individual season will continue, with Nick DeBellis and Lawrence Pepito each advancing to the CCCAA State Championships, May 11-12, at Bayonet Black Horse, in Seaside (Monterey County).
The top-4 teams and six individuals not from those teams advance to the CCCAA State Championships.
Napa Valley, winner of its second straight Big 8 Conference North Division championship, tied with Modesto Junior College, each with 806-team scores, in the two-day, 36-hole event, at The Old Course.
A card-off tiebreaker was used, with Modesto advancing as the fourth team.
Napa Valley shot 400-406 – 806.
DeBellis was the Storm's top player, shooting 75-81 – 156.
Pepito was next, shooting 77-82 – 159.
"We didn't play well at all; probably our worst round of the season," Storm coach Bob Freschi said. "It was one of those days, nothing went right. The breaks didn't go our way. We had way too many penalties (Tuesday), and it ended up costing us.
"Guys were bummed out, but that's golf. It was rough. We were one stroke from going as a team, and only a few strokes from coming in second place. They can't take away that they're the Big 8 Conference (North) champions."
Also, for Napa Valley, it was:
Stephen Nefsky, 89-76 – 165; Ben Wilhite, 81-84 – 165; Tyler Momono, 81-87 – 168; and Max Taylor, 86-83 – 169.
"We were still right there in the mix. We just made some poor shots on (No.) 18 coming in, and eventually that just cost us. But that's golf, and it happens. You wish you could take it back, but you can't," said Freschi.
"It wasn't a lack of effort. It was one of those days. We're all bummed out, but that's sports, and that's what you've got to deal with. Good for Nick and Lawrence for qualifying for the states, but clearly bummed that we didn't make it as a team."
Napa Valley was tied for third place in Round 1.
Conditions were windy during final-round play.
"It was just hard to know what the wind was doing. It was swirling," said Freschi.
Reedley College won the NorCal team title, shooting 381-390 – 771. Reedley, which won the Big 8 South title, was led by Tommy Evans (72-77 – 149) and Eliot Vidal (75-79 – 154).
Taking second place was San Joaquin Delta College-Stockton, which shot 408-394 – 802.
Finishing third was Sierra College-Rocklin, which shot 402-402 – 804.
Taking fourth place was Modesto, which shot 400-406 – 806.
The Old Course, designed by Arnold Palmer and Francis Duane, is a par-72, 6,879-yard layout. Play was from the Black tee markers, except for holes 1, 3, 7, 13, 15 and 17, which use the Blue tee markers, the CCCAA announced, at www.cccaasports.org.
The field consisted of eight teams – four from the Big 8 Conference North Division and four from the Big 8 Conference South Division – with tournament play over two days and 36 holes.
Napa Valley, Sierra, Modesto and San Joaquin Delta are in the Big 8 North Division.
Reedley, Fresno City, San Jose City and Taft are from the Big 8 South Division.
Also playing was Fresno City College, 399-411 – 810; San Jose City College, 444-438 – 882; and Taft, 460-447 – 907.
Napa Valley won six tournaments during the spring season.
"It's just an unfortunate and inopportune time to play our worst golf on that day, and it cost us," said Freschi. "It was a combined team effort of where they came in. And that's one of the things with our philosophy – you have got to accept your score. I'm proud of them. They did. They didn't sulk. They just said we didn't play well. That happens.
"It just didn't go our way. I tried to emphasize that, don't let these two rounds dictate what success we had this season. You guys are conference champions, and the reason why you're conference champions, you were the most consistent, best team throughout the year. Don't let two days take away from that.
"It was just a great team to be around, and the sophomores led us."
* 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.