Brett Lapinski is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Paradise Valley High School for AZPreps365.com.

Paradise Valley High School's top golfer, senior Kadin Metzner, surprised coach Scott Sitkiewicz and the rest of his team Tuesday afternoon by having the worst match of the season in a 150-172 defeat to the Corona del Sol Aztecs at Wildfire Golf Club.

Recognized as the sixth-best golfer from teams not in the top 12 of their section, and coming off an even-par outing at this exact course, Metzner put up an abysmal 8-over-par 43 on the par-35 nine-hole Faldo course.  

"Today was actually my worst performance of the season," Metzner said. "I started off alright, and it just got worse throughout the day."

Metzner did not have one hole where he shot under par, and he finished off the match by picking up a triple-bogey on the final hole which brought him into a three-way tie for seventh place. 

The Trojans as a team could not make up for Metzner's poor outing, as their best golfer on the day finished six strokes over par, shooting a 41. 

Only losing by two strokes in their last match against the Aztecs, Sitkiewicz had high hopes going into the match, but instead, he was left with a 22 stroke defeat. Although in awe of the deficit, the general outcome was not too far-fetched in Sitkiewicz's eyes. 

"We were coming off a four-day vacation for fall break, and this is a tough time of the year with overseeding and golf ranges closed," Sitkiewicz said. "The kids did not get a chance to warm up today, and we only had a chipping and putting day yesterday, so all that definitely played a role in our performance today."

In a match full of surprises, the biggest one came from sophomore Kylen Metzner. In total contrast to his older brother Kadin, Kylen Metzner shot his best outing of the entire season ending with a 41 and grabbing fifth place.

"I think I was just really focused today and didn't let bad shots affect the rest of my game," Kylen Metzner said. 

Sitkiewicz also showed a lot of praise for the young golfer, stating that he is "really excited to see what he will do for the rest of the season," and he expects Kylen Metzner to be a leader for the team in the following years. 

Corona del Sol sophomore Brody Leid and junior Nick Murrow finished as the two medalists for the match, as both shot a 2-over-par 37 to help cement the Aztecs' victory. 

As bad as the Trojans lost, they still bested the Shadow Mountain Matadors 172-189. Paradise Valley will look to bounce back at an upcoming invitational this Thursday and Friday with all eyes on Kadin Metzner and how he will regroup after his latest performance.

"I am going to make sure I get a lot of practice in and a lot of range time to be ready for Thursday and Friday," he said. 

With playoffs rapidly fading away from the Trojans, they can look to use this defeat as a wake-up call and push forward through the invitational and the remaining weeks. 

Individual Results

1. Brody Leid, Corona del Sol - 37

1. Nick Murrow, Corona del Sol - 37

3. Jordan Turner, Corona del Sol - 38

3. Alex Seibal, Corona del Sol - 38

5. Kylen Metzner, Paradise Valley - 41

6. Brody Kroening, Paradise Valleey - 42

7. Tyler Weihe, Corona del Sol - 43

7. Corbin Zink, Shadow Mountain - 43

7. Kadin Metzner, Paradise Valley - 43

10. Andrew Stein, Shadow Mountain - 45

11. Alex Miele, Paradise Valley - 46