CENTRAL NEW YORK – As many of the other area high school fall sports would start game action after Labor Day weekend, in boys golf plenty of matches took place in the last days of August.
West Genesee has two teams, each of whom will now have home matches at Pine Grove Club, with the younger Blue team quickly getting a win when it topped Syracuse City 229-258 on Aug. 29.
Colin Straub shot a 38, second to the 37 from Syracuse’s Andrew Towsley. Matt Stemkoski earned a 43, while three others – Nash Oudemool, Max Leubner and Carson Berg – clinched it by each shooting 49 as Mas Buranich added a 50.
Making it two in a row, WG Blue turned back Cicero-North Syracuse Green 200-225 at Pine Grove a day later. Straub again had the low individual round, a 37, with Crewe Worden gaining a 39 as Finely Ball and Pat Holzhauer, each with 41, completed a top-four Wildcats sweep.
WG Gold debuted Tuesday at Timber Banks, pulling away from Baldwinsville Red in a 203-222 decision as Frank Barbuto’s 39 and Andrew Banish’s 40 beat out the 41 from the Bees’ Nick Hurley. Sweeping the rest of the top five, Lincoln Christopher equaled Hurley’s 41 and Jon Shoults shot 43.
On that same Timber Banks layout two days later, WG Blue routed B’ville’s White team 227-269. Continuing his quick start, Straub’s 40 was six strokes clear of Worden as Oudemool (46), Ball (48) and Alex Dunham (47) were also in the top five.
A perfect week for WG continued when Gold defeated Liverpool 199-213 at Foxfire on Thursday, with steady play from its top five. Shoults shot 38 and Barbuto posted 39, with Berg earning a 40 and 41s earned by Shoults and Riley McAloon.
Two other local sides opened their season against each other Tuesday afternoon, Skaneateles taking on Marcellus at Sunset Ridge and the Lakers earning a 217-244 victory over the Mustangs.
A close individual race saw Drew Mancini, with a 39, edge out Will Murphy’s 40. Luke Walters shot 44 to lead Marcellus, but Grady Pfau equaled it and James Lovier got a 45 for the Lakers as Finlay Coyne shot 49. The Mustangs got a 48 from Chris Loveless ahead of Antonio Claudio, Caleb Pekala (50 each) and Connor Wierbinski (52).
A day later, Skaneateles routed McGraw 212-235, Mancini shooting 37 at Skaneateles Country Club as Lovier, with a 41, edged Murphy (42) for second, with Coyne getting a 44 and Pfau a 48.
Marcellus beat Hannibal 233-290 at Sunset Ridge. Claudio’s 41 paced a top-four sweep ahead of Loveless (45), Pekala (47) and Walters (49), while Matt Meade put up a 57.
Getting to 3-0 on Friday, Skaneateles put away Hannibal 191-240 at Stone Creek Golf Club. Mancini led the way with a 35, Murphy taking second with a 37 and Coyne third with a 38 ahead of Pfau (40) and Lovier, who again posted 41.
Back at Sunset Ridge, Marcellus edged Tully 243-248 to improve to 2-1, the difference at the top as a 42 from Pekala and 44 from Loveless beat the 48s by the Black Knights’ trio of Nate Melton, Sullivan Waldron and Colton Walkup. Claudio contributed a 50, Wierbinski shot 53 and Meade added a 54
Westhill began Aug. 29 by turning back Cazenovia 215-222 at Camillus Golf Club, needing Danny Young (40), Anthony Sampo (41) and Trevor Young (42) to make up for the 38 from the Lakers’ Nico Segall. Dean Francisco and Evan Chaddock each shot 46 to lock up the team win.
Nearly a week later, Westhill beat Chittenango 213-245 at Rogues Roost. Danny Young’s 39 beat Trevor Young’s 40 for indiviudal honors, with Sampo getting a 44. The trio of Todd Owens, Jack Carruth and Matt Henesey each finished at 45.
Starting on Aug. 30, Jordan-Elbridge fell 201-208 to Hannibal at Millstone Golf Course. Caden Hearn, with a 39, was second among individuals behind a 36 from Tyler Emmons as Emerson Derby and Noah Spilberg both got 41s. Jayden Castaldo (42) and Jeff Stevens (45) also had solid performances.
However, J-E earned its first win of the season Thursday when it topped McGraw 241-269 at Knickerbocker Country Club. Derby led all individuals with a 40, while Hearn shot 46 and Blake Handley a 49 ahead of 53s from Castaldo and Stevens.
