The562’s coverage of Long Beach golf for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Dan and Desiree Gooch.
Wilson has traditionally been Long Beach’s dominant boys’ golf program. The Bruins won 18 consecutive Moore League titles ahead of the 2025 season — a stretch that, more remarkably, never included a league loss.
That streak ended when Millikan defeated the Bruins last April. But Wilson’s victory over the Rams later in the season saw the two sides share the league crown.
With the 2026 Moore League campaign starting Wednesday, last year’s split between Wilson and Millikan signals potentially the most intriguing team title race in the last two decades. The litany of talent across the city could make for an equally competitive chase on the individual stage.
Wilson
Defending a shared league crown is unfamiliar for the Bruins, but they have the talent to restore their outright dominance — starting with junior Bodie Barnes, last year’s Moore League individual champion.
“He’s happy he won the league last year, but he’s trying to elevate,” Wilson coach Paul Henry said. “He wants to get to that Division One status, and he knows that he needs to step up to do that.”
Henry said Barnes has averaged just below 70 strokes at Recreation Park, Wilson’s home course, across preseason and non-league action. Freshman John Schroeder — who’s already averaging scores below par — has also pushed Barnes’ improvement, according to Henry.
“They’ve been going back and forth in terms of number one and number two all through the preseason, ” Henry said. “If you looked at last season … there was nobody that was competitive with [Barnes]. It’s nice having somebody there that can push him.”
Four-year varsity scorer Jackson Case provides consistency at Wilson’s No. 3 spot, and a bevy of other seniors fill out the Bruins roster. Henry said depth is his squad’s biggest strength.
“We’re ahead of where we were last year in terms of [team] scoring and rankings in CIF Southern Section,” Henry said.
Millikan
The Rams remain Wilson’s greatest challengers in the Moore League despite graduating three seniors from last year’s co-league championship-winning group.
Senior Daniel Andreson headlines the returning cast after finishing second in the league’s individual tournament in 2025. Fellow senior Gabriel Romero and junior Tyler Carmichael fill out Millikan’s veteran core as the team’s top-three scorers.
“They’re working and playing year-round, so I couldn’t ask them to do anything more,” Robert Tomlin said of the trio. “The three of them are pretty good friends, so it works out pretty good.”
Outside of the experienced veterans, Matteo Montiel could be a difference maker after joining varsity for a portion of last season. Juniors Ryan Savala and Ryden Kim will round out Millikan’s scoring unit.
Production from Millikan’s newcomers may be the deciding factor in whether or not the Rams capture an outright Moore League title.
“We have the talent,” Tomlin said. “It just depends on who does well that day.”
The league campaign will likely come down to Millikan’s meetings with Wilson. The two play at Rec Park on Apr. 1, and meet again at El Dorado Park on the final day of the season.
Lakewood
The Lancers have steadily progressed under Spencer McDaniel, and the fifth-year coach is once again expecting growth.
“This is probably the most cohesive team I’ve had so far,” McDaniel said.
Non-league matchups have spurred McDaniel’s confidence. Lakewood shot 199 — a team best over at least the past 10 years, according to McDaniel — at Skylinks in a win over Oxford Academy.
The Lancers wanted to carry that momentum into league play behind Gabriel Campos, Patrick Pascual, and captain Hunter Larson — who also brings leadership given his time playing football.
“He sent something via our team text the other day that was … inspiring, something none of my kids have ever done,” McDaniel said of Larson. “It was a quote about how to make yourself great.”
Long Beach Poly
Coach Bill Dodge acknowledged it may be difficult for his young Jackrabbits squad to compete with Wilson and Millikan, but expects his team to fight for third place in the Moore League.
Senior Max Ostlund, a co-captain last year, is Poly’s lone senior and will likely be their No. 1 scorer. Josh Delvecchio is entering his first year in the program, but Dodge has already watched the junior inherit a leadership role on a self-motivated team.
“Josh actually played soccer, so he’s already had some competition behind him, so he’s a natural at it,” Dodge said. “They’re all super personable … It’s almost like they coach the team themselves.”
The Jackrabbits fell out of third place last season after losing to Lakewood twice, but Dodge is confident his mature group can overcome their inexperience.
Cabrillo
Jaguars head coach Blake Dorman is expecting continued growth from a roster led by brothers, and multi-sport athletes, Joe Gogue and Joshua Gogue. The former is in his fourth year on the golf team after playing football throughout that time.
“I 100 percent love all my kids to play other sports,” Dorman said, noting it’s difficult to practice with the boys’ team during the fall since he coaches the girls’ golf team as well.
Dorman’s also been pleased with Pedro Leon and Fabian Salcedo. Both started golfing for the Jaguars last season and trained consistently during the offseason. They’ve now broken into the team’s top-four scoring cohort.
Dorman also credits Cabrillo’s development to The Century Club of Long Beach and Dan and Desiree Gooch, who’ve donated clubs and other resources to the program.
St. Anthony
The Saints accumulated eight consecutive Camino Real League titles entering last season. But that run came to an end with 2025’s third-place finish, and St. Anthony’s coach Robert Klenk has tempered expectations for this year, too, but believes his squad can finish in third again to secure another CIF playoff berth.
“This year it’s going to be a little bit tougher compared to last year, because we only have three returning players,” Klenk said.
That isn’t obvious when looking at the Saints’ roster, which features seven seniors. Several hadn’t played golf before this year, though. Given that inexperience, Klenk is looking at co-captains Cruz Ortiz and Kieran Bizzaro — who are both shooting in the low 40s — to be leaders.
“They’ve been playing golf for the last four years with me in the program,” Klenk said. “They know how to grind, and take charge, and help the other senior golfers play.”
