Broncos trail Torrey Pines in section tourney

The Rancho Bernardo High girls golf team has found itself in a battle not just for the San Diego Section championship but also for a SoCal Regional qualifying spot.

The Broncos will enter Thursday’s final round of the section tournament trailing Torrey Pines by 11 strokes and La Jolla by one stroke after shooting 39-over par as a team on Tuesday in the first round at Admiral Baker Golf Course.

The final round will begin at 8 a.m. at Admiral Baker Golf Course on Thursday. The top two teams and the top 12 individuals not on a qualifying team earn a berth into the SoCal Regional, which is slated for Nov. 12 at Goose Creek Golf Course in Riverside.

The Broncos, who beat the Falcons twice in Palomar League play and went 20-0 in the regular season, were led by Calista Reyes’ 3-over-par 75 in the opening round. Samantha Yi carded a 78, while Claire Hogle (80), Cece DeMatteo (82) and Stephanie Heimler (84) rounded out the scoring for Rancho Bernardo.

Del Norte’s Annika Chickering turned in a 1-over-par 73 and is in second place. She trails Francis Parker’s Brooke Seay, who fired an opening-round score of 2-under par. The Nighthawks also got a solid outing from Hanna Matileonen (80) and are in fifth place as a team with a score of 80-over par.

Poway just missed making the cut for the final round, finishing with the ninth-best score through the first round. The Titans, who shot 96-over par, were led by Grace Fitzgerald. The junior’s 4-over-par 76 was good enough to start her off tied for eighth place. She is trying to earn her first trip to the regional.