Start to finish, the Westhill boys golf team’s move from a fall to spring schedule proved an unqualified success.
Not only did the Warriors claim the Onondaga High School League Freedom National division regular-season title, it went to Tuesday’s league Section III qualifying tournament at Timber Banks in Baldwinsville and won the Small School team title.
In doing so, Westhill would have four of its golfers – Josh Marshall, David Bleskowski, Sean Dadey and Anthony Maglisco – finish within the top 20 and advance to the May sectional state qualifier at Seven Oaks in Hamilton.
With a team total of 441, the Warriors not only won the Small School division, but also finished third overall. Only two Large School division teams, Auburn (423) and Oswego (434), fared better.
On a Timber Banks course that stretched past 6,400 yards and featured tough fairway and green conditions, Marshall led Westhill by shooting an 18-hole score of 86, tying three others for ninth place as he recorded a 43 on both nines.
Just behind them, Bleskowski tied for 13th place with an 87 that included a strong front-nine 41, and Dadey shared 15th place with two others for an 88, reversing Bleskowski in that his 41 took place on the back nine.
Maglisco, the seventh-grader who often posted the low score for Westhill in league matches during the regular season, finished early with an 89 and sweated out all of the other scores before finding out that he tied Phoenix’s Ryan Shafer and Chittenango’s Kyler Christopher for 18th place, right on the cut line.
Another Warriors golfer, Tim Alcaro, just missed advancing as he shot a 91, while John Geer finished with a 107. Individual medalist honors were shared by East Syracuse Minoa’s Ian Rivers and Oswego’s Joe Kelly, who both shot a 77, two better than Auburn’s Ross Burgmaster.
