VASSALBORO — In the final driving range session Wednesday evening in a season full of them, Brunswick High senior Austin Stromick pulled aside junior Garrett Countway for a chat.
“He told me the way I’ve been playing, he knew I could put a good round together,” Countway said. “I just needed to find the confidence in myself.”
He had it Friday afternoon. Playing out of Brunswick’s No. 5 spot, Countway shot a 76 at Natanis Golf Course’s Tomahawk side, joining Stromick’s 75 and Charlie Austin’s 76 to help the Dragons shoot 312 to win their first Class A golf state championship.
The race for the title came down to the final cards. Defending champion Falmouth got three scores in the 70s to finish at 317, in a tie for second with Scarborough, which was paced by individual champion Marc Twombly’s 3-under 69. Gorham and Thornton Academy tied for fourth at 321.
“This is crazy. We’ve worked so hard for it,” said Stromick, Brunswick’s lone senior. “We’re there from dawn to dusk. It’s crazy. It’s fulfilling. It’s what, every day, we’re out there for.”
It looked like the numbers weren’t going to be there for the Dragons. Falmouth got a 76 from Johnny Hwang, 79s from Mitch Ham and Paul Dilworth, and an 83 from Boden Joyce, while Brunswick’s Will Farschon and Ayden Marini shot 85 and 86, respectively. But with the addition of Countway’s score from the fifth spot, the Dragons leapt in front.
“The kids just stayed steady,” said Brunswick Coach Mike Routhier. “We knew it would be (close). … We just had to play our game, play the course and hope for the best.”
Countway started slow but birdied three holes.
“I was up and down all season. It was really nice today to put out a good score,” he said. “My swing was feeling good coming into it. It was nice for the practice to finally all pay off.”
It was a demonstration of the depth that lifted Brunswick to an undefeated regular season after finishing fifth in the state last year. With Countway’s score, the totals from Stromick, who had a birdie against four bogeys, and Austin, who birdied four holes, were enough to give the Dragons the championship.
“Last year really helped us. We didn’t play well, but the guys got experience,” Stromick said. “They had another chance this year, and they took advantage of it.”
Brunswick beat a Falmouth team that was only two shots off its score from last year, and a Scarborough squad that got an excellent round from Twombly. The sophomore birdied the third and sixth holes, followed by the 11th and 14th, and only bogeyed one hole.
“It was a lifetime round,” Twombly said. “Everything was going my way. It’s just a great feeling. … I was hoping to, but I had no idea I was going to go this low.”
It was a triumphant cap to a difficult season. Twombly was diagnosed with edema in his legs, which causes fluid to build up in his bone marrow and leads to pain when walking long distances. He wears a walking boot away from the course, rode in a cart for the qualifier and championship, and limped at times Friday.
His swing, however, was unaffected. He made a tricky 6-foot putt for par on the second hole and then saved par from the bunker on the third, which he said got him going.
“My putter was hot,” said Twombly, who was joined among Scarborough scorers by Owen Falcon and Ryan Ravis (82 each) and Harrison Griffiths (84). “Until the last two holes, I was making everything.”
Even knowing he was in position for the individual title, Twombly stayed aggressive. On the 16th hole, a short par 3 with woods left and long, he took out driver and went for the green.
“I felt like I couldn’t get to a point and be like ‘OK, now I’m going to (ease) it back,'” he said. “I had to keep pushing forward.”
Twombly finished ahead of Cheverus’s Mick Madden (74), who was the runner-up ahead of Stromick and Gorham’s Taylor Farr (75).
“I went in here just like any normal tournament and just played how I usually would,” said Madden, a freshman. “I’m extremely happy with what I shot.”
Six players tied for fifth at 76. One of them was Messalonskee’s Jacob Moody, who shot a 73 at the KVAC qualifier.
“I came into today with a mid-70s goal again, and I was just consistent out there again,” he said. “My ball-striking was really good. I didn’t lose a ball all day, and hit a lot of greens.”
The girls’ individual title went to Greely senior Ruth Weeks, who shot 89 to top Thornton’s McKenna Castle (90) and Windham’s Fiona Harmon (91).
“It meant a lot, being my senior year, being my last year,” Weeks said. “I was nearly tearing up on the last hole, because it’s just so surreal it’s your last time through. … It’s very bittersweet that this is the last one.”
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