Cazenovia’s Cody Thorp is continuing to make his case as the best individual boys golfer in the Onondaga High School League Liberty division.
All of the league’s teams gathered last Monday at Marcellus Golf Club, where Thorp conquered tough conditions and posted the only nine-hole score under 40 to help the Lakers to a third-place finish.
In that battle for individual medalist honors, Thorp finished with a 39, three over par, which beat Skaneateles’ Sam Clymer by two shots as Clymer’s teammate, Jacob Patalino, finished third with a 43.
Cazenovia, as a whole, got a score of 190, just behind Skaneateles (183) and host Marcellus (185), as Alex Pezzi finished with a 48, nine shots behind Thorp. Trevor Nourse posted a 51, while Hayden Fasset finished with a 52.
Then, when the Lakers met Westhill head-to-head on Wednesday at Cazenovia Country Club, it prevailed, 218-227, and much of that margin was due to Thorp shooting a 35 to beat the Warriors’ top individual, Sean Dadey, by six shots.
Close behind Dadey, Westhill’s David Bleskoski (44) and Mike Laszlo (45) both played well, but Cazenovia pulled it out thanks to its depth. Fasset, Nourse and Ryan Mistur each finished at 45, and Ryan Modzeleski contributed a 46 ahead of the Warriors’ Jake Mullen (48), Josh Marshall and Jared Zion (49 each).
For the second time this spring, the Cazenovia and Chittenango girls golf teams would meet on the course. And last Monday afternoon’s match ended like the first one did on April 13, with the Lakers on top as it pulled past the Bears 226-244 on a cool, windy afternoon at CCC.
Erin Howles won the individual race for Cazenovia, as her nine-hole score of 52 was one shot better than teammate Maleigha Ellithorpe, each of them well clear of Sarah Schmidt, who led Chittenango with a 59.
Alexa Tillman, with a 60, and Kacie Burton, with a 61, helped the Lakers clinch the team victory. The Bears saw Rachel Cleary, Jennie McIntosh and Shannon Koegel each post 64 as Cazenovia’s Carolyn Benn and Abbie Auero each posted 66.
This had followed Cazenovia’s 156-183 defeat to Onondaga High School League front-runner Jamesville-DeWitt at Butternut Creek, a shorter layout where Howles posted a 41 and Abby Avery had a 45. For the victorious Red Rams, Lizzie Redmore and Alex Catanzarite each shot 39.’
Both Cazenovia and Chittenango returned to Butternut Creek on Wednesday, part of a tournament with J-D, plus golfers from Fayetteville-Manlius, East Syracuse Minoa and Christian Brothers Academy.
In the team standings, the Lakers were fourth with 167 and the Bears (175) got fifth place as F-M (144) edged J-D (148) at the top. Howles led Cazenovia’s efforts, shooting a 40, while Liz Shephard finished with a 41.
Yet another three-team match took place Thursday, with Cazenovia’s girls shooting 225 to beat Oswego’s 238, but behind Marcellus, who won with 205.
Again leading her side, Howles shot a 48, tying the Mustangs’ Hannah Abbot but trailing Mary Colella, whose 44 paced Marcellus. Ellithorpe managed a 50 in front of Benn, who had a 63, and Madison West, who posted a 64.
