ONONDAGA COUNTY – Having established himself as one of the top junior golfers in Central New York, Manlius-Pebble Hill senior Johnny Gruninger had one more season left with the Trojans, and wasn’t going to waste it.
Gruninger led MPH past Pulaski 193-219 in last Monday’s season opener at Tecumseh Golf Club, going under par as he shot a blistering 31.
But he didn’t work alone. Jack Marquardt and Tommy Wildhack also played well, with Marquardt shooting a 37 and Wildhack a 38 ahead of the 42 from Pulaski’s Drayce Reiter.
MPH then shot 221 in a three-team match with Weedsport (315) and Cato-Meridian (325) on Wednesday with Gruninger shooting a 34 and Wildhack earning a 37 as Max Fung posted a 44.
Bishop Grimes played Fabius-Pompey last Thursday and lost, 245-278, to the Falcons, with Steve Filapello shooting a 40 for the Cobras just behind the 39 from F-P’s Grant Spicer. Brandon Stevens shot a 54.
In girls golf, Fayetteville-Manlius had its two teams face each other, along with Baldwinsville, last Monday afternoon, with F-M Green shooting 195 to hold off the Bees’ 203 as F-M White had a 232.
At Green Lakes, Lucy Fowler shot a 38, eight shots ahead of B’ville’s Colleen Vredenburg in a match ultimately decided by an eight-shot margin.
Michaela Papa finished with a 50, with Alana Isley and Georgia Perry both posting 56. Annika Sajnog and Kathleen Stevens led F-M White, each posting 57.
Back at Green Lakes a day later, F-M Green handled West Genesee 117-163 led by a 25 from Fowler and a 27 from Papa, with Isley getting a 32 and Ava Abruzzese a 33 in front of the 37 from Perry.
Then F-M Green won 124-166 over Cicero-North Syracuse Green on Wednesday as Fowler’s 24 beat the field by nine strokes. Papa and Isley both shot 33, with Abruzzese’s 34 completing a top-four Hornets sweep.
This busy week ended with F-M Green holding off C-NS’s Blue team 140-150, with Fowler shooting 29, six shots ahead of the Northstars’ Jessica Ricciardi and Emilee Solak. Papa and Isley both had 35s as Abruzzese finished with a 41.
Jamesville-DeWitt shot 215 to beat out East Syracuse Minoa Blue’s 230 in the second SCAC Empire division match of the season last Monday at Oswego Country Club.
Jaeda Robinson shot the Red Rams’ low individual round of 52 and Abby Newman added a 53 as Central Square’s Emily Barnes (45) again led the pack. Helaina Scolaro paced the Spartans with a 54 to tie for sixth place.
Christian Brothers Academy moved to 2-0 on the season when it romped past Chittenango 197-267 last Monday afternoon at Drumlins.
Annie Kilmartin, shooting a 43, led a top-three sweep for the Brothers as Hanna Kang got a 46 and Aubrey Mills contributed a 51. Anya McGillivray tied the Bears’ Delaney Dawkins for fourth place with a 57 and Bella Meade finished with a 61.
CBA went from there to sweeping a three-team match on Tuesday, shooting 202 to the 244 from Bishop Grimes and the 214 from Cazenovia at the Links at Erie Village.
Keeping this up, the Brothers won Thursday over Marcellus 211-240, with Kilmartin and Kang putting up matching totals of 51 and Aubrey Mills adding a 52. Meade improved to a 57.
MPH’s girls team nearly upended Westhill last Tuesday at Camillus Golf Club, but the Trojans lost a narrow 241-242 decision to the Warriors.
