Likely, the regular-season boys golf title in the CNY Counties League would hinge on Fayetteville-Manlius going up against Baldwinsville Monday at Woodcrest Golf Club.
Both teams arrived with similar records, with the Hornets’ lone blemish a 195-203 defeat to B’ville at Timber Banks on Sept. 1. Nearly a month later, the rematch would not only determine league honors, but also who had momentum going into the Section III tournament in early October – which will also take place at Timber Banks.
F-M began to tune up for it by defeating Cicero-North Syracuse’s Green team 187-216 last Tuesday at Woodcrest, with Cacchio shooting a two-under-par 34, while Nick Perry dazzled, too, with a 35. Jason Coleman finished with a 38 as Kyle Gilroy, Tim Zapisek and Will Franey each shot 40 to match the low C-NS Green total by Jake Nardozza.
At Drumlins on Thursday, F-M drubbed the combined Syracuse City team 186-231, getting a 34 from Perry to lead the way. Gilroy and Colin Sommers both posted 36, with Coleman and Adam Butch each shooting 40. Jon Kinane led Syracuse with a 45.
Of the three local Onondaga High School League sides, Jamesville-DeWitt was having the best season, and it nearly got better when it came within an eyelash of knocking off undefeated Auburn last Tuesday at Drumlins.
The Red Rams lost by a single shot, 196-197, to the Red Rams, with the difference coming at the top where brothers Abel and Alvin Ratanaphan both shot a 37, but two Maroons golfers, Ross Burgmaster and Trevor Hogan, fared better as Burgmaster shot a 35 and Hogan added a 36.
From there, it went on even terms, J-D seeing Will Havens post a 39, Jake Ellithorp get a 40 and Mac Mott a 44, but Auburn hanging on behind a 40 from Ryan Chalupnicki, a 42 from Tim Walsh and a 43 from Tyler Ely, exactly the score Ely needed to have the Maroons prevail.
Before all this, J-D went to Battle Island and beat the Fulton Red Raiders 212-227. Mott, shooting a 40, and Alvin Ratanaphan, posting a 41, had the two best individual rounds, ahead of the 42 by Fulton’s Hunter Hubel that J-D’s Abel Ratanaphan matched. Ryan Archer chimed in with a 44, the same as the Red Raiders’ Nate Shatrau, as Ellithorp contributed a 45, lower than any other Fulton total.
Christian Brothers Academy handled LaFayette 226-258 last Monday at Drumlins. Steve Fournier, with a 39, may have finished one shot behind the Lancers’ Thomas Long (38), but Fournier had far more help.
William Holstein shot a season-best 44 as he and Jack Lester (46) finished ahead of LaFayette’s Sam Campione (47) and R.J. Shaver (48). Then Jack Little finished with a 49, with David Gross posting a 50.
Then, facing East Syracuse Minoa Orange Tuesday at the Links at Erie Village, CBA prevailed 242-271, this despite the Spartans’ Joe Pacheco posting the low individual round of 45.
Each of the next six low rounds was turned in by a CBA golfer, though, as Fournier and Lester both shot 46, Gross got a 48 and Chris Bushnell, Andrew Henderson and Joe Nicholson had 51 apiece. For ESM Orange, Donovan Marriott had a 53, ahead of Ryan Walsh (55), Brett Smith (57), Owen White (61) and Alex Leo (62).
A successful week for CBA concluded with a tough road match on Friday as it went to Skaneateles and took out the Lakers 227-240.
In gray conditions at Skaneateles Country Club, Gross shot a 43, one behind Skaneateles’ Ty Jones (42), but Fornier and Santoro were close behind, each shooting 44, while Lester and Bushnell both posted 48, all of which drowned out the 45 from the Lakers’ Kenny Peterson and head of the other Skaneateles finishers.
ESM had seen its Blue team go up against Auburn on Sept. 16 at Highland and take a 199-220 defeat to the Maroons to fall to the .500 mark at 6-6. Ian Rivers contended for individual honors, shooting a 39, just one behind the Auburn tandem of Trevor Hogan and Ryan Chalupnicki.
Dan Marriott added a 40, but the Maroons used a 39 from Ross Burgmaster and 42s from Tim Walsh and Alex Burgmaster to stay in front. Jacob Harrig (46) beat out Nick Rogers (47) and Justin Griffith (48) to finish third among Spartans golfers.
Resuming action on Wednesday, ESM Blue took on Oswego and fell 201-219, though Rivers shot 37 at Oswego Country Club for the low individual round by one shot over the Buccaneers’ Brady Slimmer (38). Three other Oswego golfers – Corey Stevens, Ryan Bartlett and Joe Kelly – had 40s in front of Marriott (43), Rogers (44) and Harrig (47).
ESM Orange played, too, at Mexico, where it fell to the Tigers 201-230. Pacheco had a 39, just behind Mexico’s Ron Marsden (36) and Zach Revette (38), while Walsh posted a 42 and Nate Powell earned a 45. Dakota Deasy and Jack Ryan, with rounds of 40, helped the Tigers pull away.
Both ESM teams played Friday, with Blue defeating Central Square 209-242 on Senior Day at Erie Village. Rivers had a 37 to top the Redhawks’ Larry Romano (39) by two, with Rogers and Dan Marriott both finishing at 42, just ahead of the 43 posted by Ryan MacCombie and the 45 posted by Harrig.
On the other hand, ESM Orange lost, 221-231, to Tully at Vesper Hills. Walsh was second among individuals with a 41 behind J.J. Stevens, who had a 36. Pacheco finished with a 42 as Powell got a 48 and Donovan Marriott a 51.Stevens, Alex Crysler and Wyatt Brown (41 each) led Tully along.
