The San Benito High girls golf team has a senior-dominated squad that coach Carissa Filice said will be hard to say goodbye to at the end of the season. One of the half-dozen seniors include Isabella Arreola, a four-year varsity player.
The Haybalers also have a promising freshman in Kami Brewer-Pozzi, who seemingly has the potential to be the school’s best player by next season—and perhaps their best player in several years by the time she’s a senior.
In the team’s 259-350 victory (team with the lowest stroke score wins) over Watsonville on Oct. 15, Arreola shot a career-best 46 and Brewer-Pozzi finished with a 48 on the front nine at San Juan Oaks.
Along with Maggie Campo, Christina Carvalho, Kendall Mills and Logan Randle, the Balers have been one of the more consistent teams in the Monterey Bay League this season.
Against Watsonville, Arreola took three strokes off her previous best at San Juan Oaks. On the par-5, 415-yard second hole, Arreola actually had a chance for birdie, but missed a putt from 3 to 4 feet away.
“I wish I would’ve made that putt, but it was still the best I’ve ever done on that hole,” Arreola said. “I felt a lot better playing that match compared to other matches. My driving was pretty solid, and my hybrid (club) was going a few yards longer than usual.”
Like most of her fellow seniors, Arreola doesn’t play competitive junior golf in the off-season. But she does have fun playing the game while wanting to improve each practice. Arreola likes the slow-paced nature of golf, which allows players to have ample reflection time.
“It’s not as super fast-paced as other sports, and you have time to think about what you want to do before taking a shot,” she said.
Arreola takes her academics seriously, as her 4.3 weighted GPA attests. In terms of extra-curricular activities, Arreola carries a load. In addition to being the president of Club Ed, an organization on campus that helps tutor students, Arreola is also working on attaining her Girl Scouts Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting.
As Arreola approaches the twilight of her high school career, Brewer-Pozzi is just getting started—literally. The 14-year-old Brewer-Pozzi just started playing regularly four months ago, and in that time her game has developed beyond even her wildest expectations.
Brewer-Pozzi has been the team’s medalist on two occasions this season, and she has showed a mental and physical maturity beyond her years. Having played softball since she was 4, Brewer-Pozzi has dabbled in golf the last couple of years before making the decision to play the sport full-time in the summer.
“I’m playing as much golf as I can because it’s the only way to improve,” she said.
Last weekend, Brewer-Pozzi attended a wedding in Fresno with her family. Before the event, Brewer-Pozzi played 18 holes at Fig Garden Golf Course in Fresno with her dad and cousin. Brewer-Pozzi shot 88 and her dad 84, and it’s only a matter of time before Brewer-Pozzi surpasses her old man.
Brewer-Pozzi credits her grandfather, Gerardo Loyola, for helping her to get involved in the game. Loyola was a golf coach at Watsonville High for 16 years.
“He helped me out in getting the right swing and short game,” Brewer-Pozzi said. “He encouraged me to play, but it wasn’t to the point where he was ever pushy. I made the decision that I would try out for the golf team two months before the season started.”
Against Watsonville, Brewer-Pozzi actually started her round with a bogey on the first hole and a double bogey on the second. However, Brewer-Pozzi showed a steely resolve and rebounded with mostly pars the rest of the way to secure a solid nine-hole round.
“I didn’t start off so good, but I kept my head in it and told myself that I could still have a good round,” she said. “Playing softball before, I knew I had to stay focused and be a little strong-headed.”
Indeed, playing travel-ball softball with the Salinas Fury for several years has developed a mental toughness in Brewer-Pozzi that she might not have had otherwise entering the golf season. Brewer-Pozzi is strong off the tee, as she averages 240 yards on her drives.
She’s also accurate down the fairway, and is looking to turn her chipping and putting into strengths as well. As great as Brewer-Pozzi has been on the course, there’s a nice backstory in how she almost didn’t enroll at San Benito High.
Brewer-Pozzi was living in Capitola before moving to Hollister with her mom shortly before the school year began. She literally signed up for classes a day before the school had its freshmen orientation.
“If I didn’t go to San Benito, I would’ve gone to either Soquel (in Aptos) or Watsonville,” she said.
Brewer-Pozzi entered the season with the expectation to improve. She’s done that and much more.
