The checklist symbolically tacked to the shed on the practice range at Fox Ridge Golf Club to begin the abbreviated high school golf season included four goals to which the St. Dom’s golf team aspired.
1. Win all MVC matches. Check.
2. Win the MVC playoff championship. Check.
3. Qualify for the Class C state tournament. Check.
4. Recapture the Class C state crown after two consecutive and agonizingly narrow defeats.
That last one, the Saints will have a shot to accomplish Monday, when the state team golf championships are decided at Natanis Golf Club in Vassalboro.
“I told the team on the way back from qualifying (Wednesday), ‘OK, we’ve accomplished three of the goals we set, now we have the big one left,'” St. Dom’s coach Kevin Cullen said. “All of the guys playing on Monday have, either last year or the year before, been in a state team match and lost, they’ve all felt that bitter pill and they’re ready to fix that.”
The Saints have used home course advantage and an unwavering desire to improve their personal golf games to dominate the Mountain Valley Conference for three seasons, and previously their division of the Western Maine Conference, as well. This year was no different. The Saints sent nine golfers to qualifying for the state individual championships, and five — four boys and a girl — qualified. Zack DeBlois, Joe Bryant, Anthony Fagone and Danny Nadeau all made the cut, as did Amanda Turcotte in the girls’ field with an 88. Mike Richard, the Saints’ sixth golfer all season, missed qualifying by a stroke, and Cody Rodrigue missed by four.
In addition to playing one one of the toughest home tracks in Maine, St. Dom’s knows a thing or two about Natanis, too. Asidew from participating in qualifiers and tourneys there, St. Dom’s spends plenty of practice time at the 36-hole layout.
“It helps, when we go to play practice rounds there, we bring everybody,” Cullen said. “That way, players for next year and even two years down the road, they get experience there. We went last Saturday, we played the matches this week, we’re going again this Saturday.”
The streaky weather this fall will be a challenge for all the teams,” Cullen said. “It’s been wet all week, and the course was soft but the green rolling fast (Wednesday). Now we’re looking at six straight days of sun, and it’s going to play even differently the next time we see it.”
Despite having only four golfers on its roster, Winthrop nearly qualified for the tourney as well falling just short of Wiscasset in its bid to join St. Dom’s. The Ramblers do have a pair of players playing in the individual tournament the following Saturday, as both senior Tyler Foster and freshman Taylor Morang qualified. Will Kannegieser of Minot, a student at Gould Academy, also made it through the tourney and earned a spot in the individual tournament.
Finally through
It’s been a long time coming for Oxford Hills.
The Vikings, dominant on their home course of Norway Country Club, have often struggled not only on the road in the regular season, but also in qualifying at the state level. The monkey is finally off of their backs.
The Vikings waded through the crowded KVAC field this week at Natanis and earned the final qualifying spot, joining Brewer, Bangor, Brunswick, Hampden Academy and Lawrence in the Class A team field.
“Considering the conditions we played in, that was a great result,” Oxford Hills coach Mike Grace said. “It was unbelievable. I’m very proud of the guys. This is the first time for me as a coach that we get there, and I’m especially happy for the seniors to finally get the chance.”
The Vikings’ score of 355 was the fourth-lowest among the six qualifiers.
In addition, Ben Morton and Cam Letourneau shot well enough to qualify for the individual tournament, along with Briana Morris on the girls’ side.
Drew Ferrari of Mt. Blue and Cameron Marquis of Lewiston also made it through to the individual tournament despite their teams coming up just short.
In Class B, Alexis Priest of Oak Hill accomplished her goal of reaching the girls’ individual tourney for the fourth consecutive season.
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