CENTRAL NEW YORK – Each of the West Genesee boys golf teams had superb regular seasons and expected a lot when they teed off Monday morning in the Section III fall large-school championships at Drumlins.
This was because the Wildcats clinched the SCAC Metro division regular-season championships with wins in consecutive weeks over previously unbeaten Fayetteville-Manlius Green.
WG Gold first accomplished this Sept. 23 at Green Lakes, topping the Hornets 189-197 by getting the top three individual scores, Jon Shoults shooting 36 and 37s from Topher Shoults and Parker Berg. Jonathan Lape added a 38 and Frank Barbuto shot 39.
Then, in Monday’s rematch at Pine Grove the Wildcats again beat F-M Green 177-189, this time leaning on its third, fourth and fifth golfers to get the best of the Hornets.
It took Jon Shoults and Lincoln Christopher each shooting 36 and Barbuto putting up 37 to back up the season-best three-under-par 33 from Riley McAloon matched by Duncan McDaniel and one-under-part 35 from Andrew Banish that Henry Will equaled.
The small-school sectional fall tournament takes place at Beaver Meadows with Skaneateles and Westhill both expected to contend in the wake of the Lakers seeing its hopes for an undefeated regular season dissipate.
And it was the other Lakers from Cazenovia who gave Skaneateles its only blemishes, first doing so in a match Tuesday at Cazenovia Country Club by a score of 195-202.
Drew Mancini’s 36 led the individual race, with James Lovier shooting 38 to equal Cazenovia’s Nico Segall and James Lovier. Will Murphy had a 39, but so did Ben Bianco and Jake Highthcew, who put Cazenovia in front, where it stayed thanks to Caleb Gilmore’s 41 ahead of Mike Spinelli (42) and Grady Pfau (47).
In Thursday’s rematch at Skaneateles Country Club Cazenovia again got the best of it, prevailing 216-240. Pfau did take the individual title with a 41to Segall’s 42, but three others matched Murphy’s 44 and Lovier, with a 48, had the only other Skaneateles total under 50.
Westhill, meanwhile, would get a chance to deny Christian Brothers Academy a perfect regular season on Thursday afternoon at Camillus Golf Club.
And it was close – but the Brothers won 193-205, with Danny Young shooting 36 but surrounded by Luke Snyder (35) and Zach Cooper (37) as Tripp Sauer had a 40 which Emmet Kilmartin and Patrick O’Connor equaled. Trevor Young had a 42 ahead of Evan Chaddock’s 43 and a 44 from Christian Loomis.
Before that, Westhill had won twice in as many days, beating Phoenis 232-259 at Beaver Meadows led by a 39 from Danny Young that was seven shots ahead of any other individual.
Far closer was a 192-195 win over Cortland at Willowbrook where Danny Young’s sizzling 33 beat out a strong Purple Tigers pack led by Koda Hubbard’s 35. It took 39s from Sauer and Trevor Young plus a 40 from Matt Henesey and 41 from Anthony Sampo to help Westhill inch in front.
In Monday’s match against Jordan-Elbridge at SCC Skaneateles took out the Eagles 193-222 and also topped Hannibal’s 226 with depth beyond Mancini’s 36.
Spinelli, Lovier and Peter Salzhauer each posted 39, with 40s from Murphy and Pfau ahead of the Eagles’ low rounds of 43 from Caden Hearn and Emerson Derby. Jayden Castaldo had a 44 ahead of Jeff Stevens’ 45 and Noah Spilberg’s 47.
In between the two matches with Cazenovia came a 189-229 win over LaFayette at Orchard Vali with Murphy shooting a season-best 33. Mancini (37) beat out Pfau (38) for second place as Lovier shot 41 and Christian Cirincione a 40.
J-E beat Tully 204-210 at Vesper Hills a day later. Hearn’s 38 was second to the Black Knights’ Sullivan Waldron (36), but Castaldo got a 39 and 41s from Derby and Spilberg pulled the Eagles in front as Stevens again shot 45.
When the Eagles beat LaFayette 203-227 Friday at Millstone it climbed to the .500 mark at 6-6. J-E had the top four scores, with Derby shooting 39 and 40s posted by Spilberg, Hearn and Castaldo.
Marcellus topped LaFayette 218-252 Monday at Sunset Ridge. Chris Loveless shot a 42, one ahead of 43s from Antonio Claudio and Connor Wierbinski, with Caleb Pekala adding a 45 and Luke Walters’ 46 completing a top-five Mustangs sweep.
A 221-298 win over McGraw followed on Friday as Walters, Claudio and Pekala tied for the top spot, each shooting 43, with Loveless adding a 46 and Wierbinski posting 48.
