PEBBLE BEACH >> A wave of emotions swept over Luke Brandler as he walked up the 18th fairway at Poppy Hills Golf Course on Tuesday afternoon. On one end of the spectrum, he tried to ignore thoughts of knowing this was his last round of golf for Stevenson School.

Yet, on the other, he could see the joy on his teammates’ faces as he walked to the green, knowing the Pirates were going to be high school state champions.

“I told myself, I’m not done yet,” Brandler said. “I still have to hit one more shot. I was focused on finishing my last hole. But once my shot hit the green, I let it soak in. I looked up at my teammates. At that point, I don’t even know what I was thinking.”

Embraced by head coach Justin Bates upon finishing his round, Brandler began to sense how special the moment was with fellow seniors Johshveer Chadha, Steven Lai and Marc Gabriel Sasetia.

For the first time since 2013, the Pirates are state champions, shooting 353 Tuesday to outdistance runner-ups De La Salle and Santa Margarita, who had 362.

“I could barely stand to watch the final hole,” Bates said. “It hasn’t sunk in. This was about as anxious as I’ve ever been, probably in my entire life.”Stevenson is the second program in the county to bring home a state championship this school year, as Carmel won a state football title last fall.

For a program that’s been on top in the Pacific Coast Athletic League for the past 14 years, the moment wasn’t too big for Stevenson, which put forth arguably its best team performance of the season.

“Honestly, I can’t really believe it,” said Lai, who was third as an individual last year. “It’s a dream come true to do this as a team. It was such a tough round, a grind for 18 holes. It’s just really cool.”

Bates points back to a tournament in Palm Springs in March as the turning point of the season, where the Pirates spent three days together with no distractions, finishing third among 60 schools from throughout the country.

“Our goal is to get to the moment,” Bates said. “If we were to play these teams nine out of 10 times, I don’t think it happens. But if you get to the moment and the boys show up confident and relaxed, they can do what they did today, which is amazing.”

All Bates had to do was point back to last week’s Northern California finals, where Stevenson went from seventh to second over the final nine holes, falling by two strokes to De La Salle, which it defeated by 11 strokes Tuesday.

“In pressure situations, what this team has done is instead of wilting on the back nine, it rises to the occasion,” Bates said. “Being here before helps a ton. This is about as good as it gets.”

Brandler, who will play golf next year at Princeton, carded a 4-under par 67 for the Pirates, finishing in a tie for fourth overall, with Lai finishing at 2-under.

“I was actually hitting really poorly on the range in warm-ups,” Brandler said. “Over the weekend, I was a little under the weather. I was a little fatigued. I was worried on the range.”

Concern turned to confidence when Brandler struck the ball well on his drives over the first three holes, got himself into a rhythm, enabling him to rechannel his thoughts on his game.

“I had a little doubt in my mind,” said Brandler, the Gabilan Division’s Most Valuable Player. “Once I got out on the course, I got off to a decent start and got my confidence back. I rode it all the way through.”

Brandler never looked at the team results until the ninth hole — the only time over 18 holes. Seeing that his teammates were having a solid round fueled his emotions.

“I knew we had a decent lead,” Brandler said. “But we weren’t even close to getting it done. There were so many holes left to play. I tried to keep it in the back of my mind and keep the focus on my game.”

Lai, who is flying back to China after the tournament, was playing two holes in front of Brandler, and one of three Stevenson golfers who shot under par, joining sophomore Zachary Hawkins (70).

“Everything was pretty good, especially my drives,” Lai said. “I hit every fairway. I hit 16 greens. I had a few mistakes, but it didn’t affect my game — just a steady round. This is basically our home course. We know it pretty well. It was to our advantage.”

And it showed in the effort of all six golfers for the reigning three-time Central Coast Section champions, as sophomore Calvin Etcheverry shot a 73, with Chadha and Sasetia both finishing with 74s.

“I have no idea how we’ll celebrate,” Lai said. “I’m leaving for China tonight to go home. I don’t know when I’ll be back here. But I’m going to enjoy this with my teammates for as long as I can.”

A bag of emotions filled the mind of Bates.

“It’s obvious a celebratory moment,” Bates said. “But it’s the last time with these seniors. I will miss them a lot. What is going to be the hardest part is saying goodbye. There’s sadness, but obviously excitement in what they’ve accomplished.”

Competing as an individual, Carmel’s junior Julien Cho shot a 2-over 73 to finish in a tie for 21st.