Among the many rites of spring is the Skaneateles boys golf team finishing a season with championship honors.
Having already gone through an undefeated run in the Onondaga High School League Liberty division, the Lakers added more glory when it prevailed Monday afternoon at the Section III Large School West Division Championship at the Links at Sunset Ridge.
With a team total of 419, Skaneateles finished 10 shots ahead of runner-up Westhill. Cazenovia was third, with 438. Since 1980, the Lakers have won 22 different sectional titles, and on this day, all kinds of individuals contributed to it.
It started with freshman Jeremy Sisson, one of nine Lakers to reach the tournament. Only six were eligible for the team tournament, but Sisson beat all of them, shooting a 76 to finish second among individual golfers, trailing only Westhill’s Nate Meisner, who won with a 72.
Senior Doug Pinckney, among the team players, fared best, posting a 78, while senior Matt Lee managed a 79. Senior Mike Jorgensen and junior Jake Fontana had matching rounds of 87 and sophomore Jacob Patalino finished with an 88, recovering from a 12 he scored on one of the par-three holes.
With their fine rounds, Sisson, Pinckney and Lee advanced to the Section III state qualifier, which takes place Thursday and Saturday at Colgate University’s Seven Oaks course. The top nine finishers in that tournament advance to the state championships May 31-June 2 at Cornell University’s course in Ithaca.
The entire championship roster includes Sisson, Pinckney, Lee, Jorgensen, Fontana, Patalino, Briggs Carter, Ray Falso, Trevor Grant, Connor Jones, Logan McAndrew, Nicolas Palmer, Jon Ricklefs and Carter Stregiel.
For the Skaneateles girls golf team, the season ended with an appearance in last Tuesday’s Section III tournament at Kanon Valley Country Club in Oneida, where three golfers took part.
Grace Magee led the Lakers, posting an 18-hole score of 104 to tie for 42nd place, while Madison Singler managed a 110. Eighth-grader Jill Barker shot a 124. Auburn posted the top team score of 338 and saw Larissa Carter, with a two-over-par 75, repeat as individual sectional champion.
