photo taken by Raphotos

“Coaching golf at AGHS is my chance to be a part of [a bigger community], and I am blessed and humbled by the opportunity and the responsibility that comes with it,” Schiro said.

Spectators go silent as the last stroke is chipped in to solidify the league title. AGHS Boys Golf won the Mountain League Championship after an almost perfect season—losing one match to San Luis Obispo High School. Last year, the boys finished third in league, making this year’s success a reflection of the improvement the team made this past season.

“We’ve had our team for the last two years now,” Becker Brown (‘27) said. “With the addition of our new freshman, Nate Tarter, that’s really boosted the team.”

Nathan Tarter (‘28) is one of the top scorers on the team, despite being a freshman. However, there were a few ways he needed to prepare before playing at the high school level.

“I prepared to play by dedicating time to consistent training, improving my skills, and studying the game to compete at a higher intensity,” Tarter said.

Playing at the high school level improved Tarter’s skills, but it also taught him a different aspect of golf that he hadn’t experienced before.

“This year, I learned that golf is a team sport,” Tarter said. “Even though each player competes individually, every score contributes to the team’s success, and supporting one another is key to overall performance.”

Although golf is primarily an individual sport, the team aspect is important for the success of the team.

“My team helped me improve my game by pushing me to compete at a higher level, offering constant encouragement, and creating a supportive environment for growth,” Tarter said. “Also, they always let me know to just have fun.”

Not only is the team environment a big contributor to the success of a team, but the team’s coach is also important to obtaining success.

“Two years ago, sadly, our coach passed away,” Lawson Potter (‘25) said. “Then, after that, the team environment changed a lot because our new coach is a lot more serious and more focused on improving individually as a player.”

AGHS Boys Golf coach, Frank Schiro, took over the program after the passing of former head coach Jeff Byars. Schiro is a former professional golfer, and after retirement he became an estate home builder and began a family. However, his passion for sports inspired him to become a youth coach.

“Coaches were needed, so having played those sports as a youth myself and as a fan I thought I might be able to do a service for my kids and the community,” Schiro said. “As it turned out, I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction with the kids and thrived in the environment for 15 years. However I never had the opportunity to coach the sport that was my first love—golf.”

Schiro heard about the golf coach position opening and couldn’t resist the opportunity.

“When the opportunity came up [for] AGHS golf coach, I thought I could use the lessons from coaching the other sports and put them into the realm that I knew better than anything else,” Schiro said. “I have come to find that while teaching required skills is important, it is the mental, spiritual, and emotional bond with our players that is so much more important. Having a team bond creates a team where the players are focused on their individual goals and the team goals simultaneously is not an easy task in such an individual sport like golf. Ideally, the opportunity [of] loving and bonding with [a] group allows you [to] become a part of something greater than oneself.”

The passion and lessons Schiro pours into coaching is felt by the players.

“[Golf has helped me meet] new people during our matches,” Potter said. “We play with a lot of different people and a lot of different personalities, so you [need] to learn to deal with everyone, even if you don’t like him. You [have] to be able to deal with them and learn how to meet new people and be social.”

Not only has Schiro taught his players life lessons, but he also gave them more opportunities for success.

“We’ve been playing a lot more,” Brown said. “A lot more matches [means] a lot more opportunities to improve.”

With the new addition of Tarter, a more focused team, and a knowledgeable coach, the AGHS Boys Golf team achieved  the success their hard work deserves.

On May 19, 2025, Potter, Brown, Tarter, Shane Moncrief (‘26), Landon Sears (‘26), and Trace Gibson (‘25) competed in CIF Division 1 Central Section Sectionals. The team finished third overall out of 11 teams. Brown, Moncrief, and Tarter advanced to Southern California Regionals.