Throughout the early days of June, top area high school golfers would test themselves over 36 holes in the pair of New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships.
The girls state tournament went first Saturday and Sunday at Bethpage State Park’s Yellow Course on Long Island, where Marcellus had Mary Colella representing Section III.
In the first round, Colella shot a 91, putting her in the middle of the field, which is where she stayed after shooting 91 again in the final round, which included her only birdie of the tournament on the 14th hole.
The two-day total of 182 left Colella tied for 50th place. Medina’s Melody Green (Section VI), with rounds of 68 and 70, won the state tournament by two strokes over Bailey Shoemaker.
Auburn’s three-time state champion, Lindsay May settled for sixth placea 150 a as Section III’s team finished third behind Section I and Section VI. Liverpool’s Natalya Avotins tied for 13th place at 156 and her sister, Mya Avotins, was 32nd at 176.
In between May and the Avotins sisters, Fayetteville-Manlius teammates Bailey Wallace (168) and Maggie Bonomo (173) were tied for 22nd and 35th, respectively, followed by F-M’s Grace Perry (178), Vernon-Verona-Sherrill’s Olivia Evans (179), F-M’s Paige Freyer (191) and Camden’s Danielle Caringi (193).
That same day, the boys state tournament got underway at Cornell University’s Robert Trent Jones course in Ithaca, where Marcellus had Shawn Colella and Carter Austin on hand, joined by West Genesee standout Nick Bove.
It was Colella doing the best during the opening round, shooting a six-over-par 77 to tie for 16th place. Starting on hole no. 10, he turned in 41, but put up an even-par 35 on the front nine that included consecutive birdies on 7 and 8.
As for Bove, he opened with a double bogey and had just one birdie, on 11, during his first-round 80, but that still put him in a tie for 33rd place. Austin finished with a first-round 88, struggling badly in a back-nine 49 before playing the last nine holes in 39.
The top 20 finishers on Monday would garner All-State honors, and Colella only trailed, among Section III golfers, New Hartford’s Jack Angelucci, who was tied for eighth with a 76.
During that final round, Colella had a 79, struggling with a front-nine 43 but coming back in even-par 36 to finish at 156 and salvage a tie for 23rd – which, as it turned out, was the best finish of any Section III boys golfer, one stroke better than Angelucci’s 157.
Bove was one shot worse in his final round, an 81 that did not feature any birdies as, with a 161, he shared 39th place. Austin finished with an 83 and a two-day total of 171.
As for the other Section III golfers, New Hartford’s Mike Mandel had a 159, ahead of Utica-Notre Dame’s Joe Miga (162), Manlius-Pebble Hill’s Johnny Gruninger (163), F-M’s Kyle Gilroy (170) and Whitesboro’s Jake Domagal (175).
With a four-under-par 67, Adam Xiao (Section VIII, Manhasset) roared from the pack to finish at 143, one over par, and prevail by two strokes over Croton’s Matt Ferrari for the state individual title. Section V won the team title by seven strokes over Section I.
