Monmouth Academy’s Abby Flanagan tees off on Arrowhead No. 4 during the state team golf championships Saturday at Natanis Golf Club in Vassalboro.Edward Little’s Ben Cassidy lines up put onto Tomahawk course’s 18th green during state team golf championships Saturday at Natanis Golf Club in Vassalboro.
VASSALBORO — The Class C team state golf championships were essentially a race for second place at Natanis Golf Course on Saturday.
Mattanawcook Academy, the two-time defending champion, defended its Class C title by a double-digit margin with a team total of 326. The Lynx were led by Logan Thompson, who shot a 2-under 70 on Natanis’ Arrowhead course. Teammate Max Woodman shot a 3-over 75.
Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth also earned team titles Saturday.
Mattanawcook head coach Ryan Libby didn’t think there was pressure on the Lynx to repeat.
“No, I don’t think so,” Libby said. “They obviously wanted to (repeat), but we’ve had a great run. We lost two really players last year and replaced them with a couple good ones. We come down here with the expectations to be in the top three. If we did what we have done all year, it would have given us a chance to win it again. We did and we came out on top.”
Coming in second was Houlton, 14 strokes behind . The Shiretowners were led by Wyatt Harvey, who was the third and final Class C player to shoot in the 70s with a round of 78.
Once again, St. Dominic Academy found itself near the top of the team leaderboard, finishing in a tie for third with George Stevens Academy. But, the Saints were 39 strokes behind Mattanwcook with a team score of 365.
Demietri Gammaitoni paced St. Dom’s with an 85. His older sister Markella shot a 92. Adam White carded a 93, while Janelle Bryant had a 95.
Overall, the Class C tournament didn’t see many low rounds.
“There weren’t at all,” St. Dom’s coach Michael Lacombe said. “If you look at it as a whole, we did very well and there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Jacob Gaudin helped Dirigo to a fifth-place finish by shooting an 82. The Cougars ended up four strokes behind St. Dom’s and George Stevens.
Dirigo coach Butch McKenna was pleased with the improvement his players showed. Sam Holmes and Sam Skbitsky each shot a 94, while Chandler Redman had a 99.
“The kids played well,” McKenna said. “They have shot better than the last three times we have been down here. I am proud of them and we’ll keep plugging away for next year, hopefully.”
North Yarmouth Academy finished sixth with a score of 383, followed by Forest Hills, which shot a 406.
Monmouth came in eighth, one shot behind Forest Hills. Trevor Flanagan led the Mustangs with a solid 84.
Central Aroostook and Jonesport Beals tied for ninth with a score of 432.
Class A down to the wire
There was a two-team race for the Class A title on the Tomahawk course. Scarborough ended up three strokes better than Cheverus, the Red Storm finishing at 305 and the Stags at 308.
Anthony Burham fired an even-par 72, while Elizabeth Lacongnata was 2-over, and Ian Trumpler and Cam Chamberlain fired a 79 and 80, respectively, for the Red Storm.
The Stags had three players in the 70s: Connor MacDonald shot a 72, Tom Higgins was 3-over 75 and Jeremy Baker had a 79. Nick Giancotti rounded out the scoring with an 82.
Thornton Academy was six strokes behind Cheverus. The Golden Trojans were led by Armoand Ouellette, who had a 75. Falmouth finished one stroke behind Thornton, as Riley Ronsdale led the Yachtsmen with a 75.
Lewiston and Edward Little took the positives out of the day after finishing 10th and 11th, respectively.
The Blue Devils shot a 341. They were led by Alex Robert’s 78 and Parker Thibeault’s 85. Stephanie Rodrigue shot an 88, while Evan Cox fired a 90.
“I think, for us, just to be here this weekend and qualify as a team is good,” Lewiston coach Tom LeBlond said. “We have been able to do that for four years in a row now, and some of the other schools that are here haven’t been able to do that. We will look forward to next year.”
The Red Eddies finished at 371. The players were bunched together: Colin Merritt shot a 91, Ben Cassidy had a 92 and Will Cassidy and Aaron Perkins each shot a 94.
The future appears bright for the Red Eddies.
“With three freshman coming here, and we had one more freshman who helped us qualify to get here,” EL coach Chris Merrill said. “So, four freshmen in the top six, I don’t know too many other teams who have that type of team.”
Will Cassidy and Merritt were the freshman, along with Dylan Sellinger, who also played Saturday, but his score didn’t count toward the team total.
Mt. Ararat and Portland finished in a tie for fifth with a score of 322. Caleb Manuel led the Eagles with a 72, while Jake Luce had a 74 for the Bulldogs.
“It was a good day for Manuel,” Mt Ararat coach Gerry Caron said. “We had a good day for other kids as well. Ben Hickson shot an 81, and he’s normally our five-man. He did a nice job. Overall, the kids did not do too bad. We were (322) and last year we were tied for first with a 317.”
Cole Anderson helped Camden Hills to a seventh-place finish with a 75, while the team had a score of 325. Messalonskee finished eighth, led by the strong play of Blake Marden, who shot a 73. Gorham, last year’s co-champions along with Mt. Ararat, finished ninth with a 333. Ryan Kaczmarek had a 78 to lead the Rams.
Capers regain B title
Cape Elizabeth, the 2015 champion, recaptured the state championship with a score of 319, a 24-stroke advantage over Nokomis, on the Tomahawk course.
Ryan Collins led the Capers with a 76, while Chris Laprade carded a 77.
Waterville finished three strokes behind Nokomis with a 346. Erskine Academy was fourth with a 351, and Gardiner rounded out the top five with a 360.
Freeport finished sixth with a 372, while Yarmouth claimed seventh with a 381. Mount Desert Island was nine strokes off of Yarmouth, and Old Town finished ninth with a 402.
Spruce Mountain finished 10th, as Haley Turcotte led the Phoenix with a 93.
Monmouth, Spruce happy to be a states
The scores may not be the high point of the day, but for Monmouth and Spruce Mountain, Saturday will be a day they will never forget.
The two teams were making their first appearance at the team state championships.
For the Mustangs, it was one of the few times during the year when they can actually compete for real as during the regular season, because their scores don’t count towards the MVC standings.
“They don’t get a chance to compete in the regular season MVC championship,” Monmouth coach Lonney Steeves, who also coaches Winthrop, said. “They play everyday as a team. So I think this really cemented them as team that they were out there supporting each other. We talked the other night, if you see each other on the golf course, give that little encouragement of keep it up, keep it up. Kind of working together and playing a team out there.”
After a couple lean years for the Phoenix, this group of kids may be trailblazers.
“These kids have come up through and they are getting to the pinnacle of success,” Spruce Mountain coach Diane Fenlason said. “Hopefully we can keep them coming.”
nfournier@sunjournal.com
Edward Little’s Aaron Perkins putts Tomahawk No. 18 during the state team golf championships Saturday at Natanis Golf Club in Vassalboro.Lewiston’s Stephanie Rodrigue tees off on Tomahawk No. 1 during the state team golf championships Saturday at Natanis Golf Club in Vassalboro.Lewiston’s Evan Cox plays during state team golf championships Saturday at Natanis Golf Club in Vassalboro.Edward Little’s Ben Cassidy hits over water onto the 18th green during state team golf championships Saturday at Natanis Golf Club in Vassalboro.Edward Little’s Ben Cassidy putts on the Tomahawk No. 18 green during state team golf championships Saturday at Natanis Golf Club in Vassalboro.Edward Little’s Ben Cassidy tees off on Tomahawk No. 1 during the state team golf championships Saturday at Natanis Golf Club in Vassalboro.Edward Little’s Aaron Perkins hits onto Tomahawk No. 18 during the state team golf championships Saturday at Natanis Golf Club in Vassalboro.
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