Sebastien Martinez was Yarmouth’s top scorer at the Western Maine Conference qualifier and was a starter for a’ team that won the Class B state title last fall. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
They were the teams to beat last year. And going into the state golf championships this weekend, all indications are that they will be again.
Falmouth and Yarmouth earned Class A and B titles, respectively, last season, and the two teams seem to be in top form as they try to defend their championships Friday and Saturday at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro. Falmouth impressed at the SMAA qualifier Monday at Natanis, shooting 316 to beat the field by eight strokes.
“Our coach put some pressure on us, and he made sure that we had a good plan for every hole,” said Falmouth’s Paul Dilworth, who carded a 79. “All we had to do was execute it.”
Yarmouth, coming off an undefeated regular season, rolled to the Western Maine Conference title by shooting 327 – 17 shots clear of second-place Cape Elizabeth. The Clippers had four players place in the top seven.
“I think we’re ready,” Coach David Cousins said. “They know what’s at stake, they know they’ve been there before. And they know they have to be really focused for this match.”
The Class A championships will take place Friday, with Classes B and C competing on Saturday.
Falmouth dealt with an early injury to top player John Hwang, but the Navigators are at full strength at the right time. Depth is Falmouth’s weapon; Hwang and Dilworth shot 79s Monday, while Boden Joyce shot 80, but No. 6 player Brennan Rumpf carded the team’s best round with a 78.
“Everyone on our team is a solid golfer,” said Dilworth, who was fourth in Class A last year, “and being able to play against that competition every day like we do, it’s a huge advantage.”
The road to a repeat isn’t a clear one for Falmouth, however, with SMAA rivals representing the toughest challengers. Scarborough finished second in the qualifier at 324 and had the medalist in Marc Twombly (76). Last year’s runner-up, Thornton Academy (327), got 79s from Andres Jimenez and Jack DeLeo in the qualifier and will be in the running again, as will Greely, which took fourth at 338.
The SMAA has produced 13 of the last 15 state champions.
“We play in the best league,” said Scarborough Coach Mike Murphy, who doesn’t have a senior on the roster. “State championships are about a five-hour round. It’s an hour too long, but you’ve got to keep it together because you just never know what will get you over the top.”
Another threat comes from the KVAC, as Brunswick went 10-0 and lost only two individual matches all season. The Dragons also had the best qualifying score in Class A, shooting 308 on the strength of a 75 from Will Farschon and 76s from Austin Stromick and Charlie Austin.
There’s a question mark yet for Brunswick, which qualified on the Arrowhead course and will play Friday on the more challenging Tomahawk course, but the Dragons like their odds of joining Mt. Ararat in 2018 and 2019 as the only KVAC Class A champions since 2006.
“We’re firing on all cylinders,” said Stromick, the team’s lone senior. “Any of these six guys have proved that they can go low. It’s just a comforting feeling.”
Denying Yarmouth in Class B will be tough. Sebastien Martinez (79 at the WMC qualifier), Andrew Cheever (81) and Quinn Federle (83) were starters on the championship team last year.
“They’re not the type of kids that get really high and really low, and that’s kind of indicative of how our scores are,” Cousins said. “We don’t have a kid shooting 70, and we don’t have a kid shooting 100.”
Leavitt, which had the top score at the KVAC Class B qualifier at 337, won its fourth straight conference title and will hope to get over the hump at states.
Jade Haylock of Leavitt will try to defend her Class B girls’ individual championship on Saturday at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
“We were hoping to be better, (but) hopefully we’re saving the good stuff for Saturday,” said Coach Harry Haylock, whose team was led by an 82 from Alexis McCormick and an 83 from defending Class B girls’ individual champion Jade Haylock. “Typically, we shoot very well at the qualifier … and Saturday we don’t play to our potential. Maybe we’re switching it around.”
St. Dominic Academy looms as the team to beat in Class C. The Saints, anchored by Garrett Kendall (75), Miles Frenette (79) and Erik Jones (80), shot 324 at the WMC qualifier and will look for a state title after falling short by three strokes last year.
Individually, the Class A boys’ title is an open race, with defending champion Lucas Flaherty of South Portland (79 on Monday), Bangor’s Liam Doughty (71 on Tuesday) and Messalonskee’s Jacob Moody (73 on Tuesday) in the mix of favorites.
In Class B, defending champion Eli Spaulding of Freeport will be the favorite again after shooting 2-over 74 to lead all scorers at the WMC qualifier. Kendall, Frenette and Jones, as well as Spruce Mountain’s Alex Grimaldi and Tyler Spugnardi and MCI’s Owen Moore, are top contenders in Class C.
McCormick and Jade Haylock, as well as Greely’s Ruth Weeks (84 at the SMAA qualifier), will lead the pack in the hunt for girls’ individual titles.
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