American Heritage’s Sohan Patel, Katherine Schaefer sweep Broward Golfers of the Year

The next generation of stars for Plantation American Heritage has officially arrived -- as it almost always does.

Sohan Patel and Katherine Schaefer are the Miami Herald’s Broward County Golfers of the Year, and both will be back for more next season.

Patel, who helped American Heritage’s boys’ golf team finish second in Class 2A, is only an eighth grader and will have four years to try to get the Patriots their first state title since 2016. Schaefer, who led American Heritage’s girls’ golf team to a third straight state championship, is a junior and will try to help the Patriots make it four in a row next year.

“It’s nice to be at American Heritage,” Patel said, “because there’s a lot of history.”

Patel helped start the Patriots’ postseason run by winning the District 15-2A championship, then he took home an individual bronze medal at the 2A championship in Howey-in-the-Hills, shooting a 145 to finish just two strokes back of the co-champions. As a team, American Heritage finished just five strokes out of first place.

Schaefer began the Patriots’ run with a District 15-2A championship, too, and then she also shared the Region 4-2A title and finished second at the 2A championship, shooting a 141 at Mission Inn Resort & Club to finish just one stroke back of an individual title.

Next year, both will gun for individual state titles.

“I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing and just keep my head up high, and just being grateful for everything,” Schaefer said. “If it comes my way, it comes my way.”

For both, success comes down to leadership, too.

Patel, still in middle school, got to spend last season watching Luke Clanton, who’s now playing for the Florida State Seminoles, and learn even more closely this year from junior Aiden Arce, preparing himself to one day become American Heritage’s leader.

Schaefer already is and they needed her to be one. Two of the Patriots’ top four golfers this year were in seventh grade, and American Heritage still managed to win a third straight title and Florida High School Athletic Association-record 11th.

“It was incredible that we were able to pull off a state championship,” Schaefer said. “I’m so proud of them.”

The future, as it always seems to be, is bright for the Patriots.