Wyatt Folsom, from Maranacook, hits out of a ditch during the Class C golf championships on Oct. 9 at Natanis Golf Club in Vassalboro. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
No sport last fall was held as close to its pre-COVID form as golf was. But that doesn’t mean everything was normal on the links.
Golf was the only fall sport with state championships, but pod schedules, mask rules and a season cut nearly in half meant 2020 looked plenty different than previous seasons.
In 2021, however, high school golf was back the way it was.
“It felt like a normal season this year, which was really nice,” Nokomis coach Matt Brown said.
Golf went back to a full season this year, starting in late August and wrapping up in early October. Last year’s season was 19 days long, from Sept. 21 to Oct. 10, and coaches said it felt like a sprint.
“It was nice to have practice sessions (the day) after a match,” Brown said. “The year before, we were playing a match, and then we’d have another match, and then we’d have another match, trying to get them all in. We never had time to really practice on areas we were kind of lacking in. That was good this year.”
Messalonkee’s Jude Lilly putts during the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A Shootout on Sept. 30 at Brunswick Golf Club. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
Teams last season played in pod schedules, which reduced inter-county mixing but also resulted in teams playing the same two or three opponents all season.
“It certainly helped with rhythm and consistency, to be able to get all the matches in and be able to compete on away courses against different opponents,” Maranacook coach Ryan Meserve said. “I think anytime you can vary your competition and play multiple sites against different teams, it certainly helps.”
As the season got going and into championships, plenty of headlines emerged. One was Meserve’s Maranacook team, which had a strong KVAC season and finished 12 strokes back in fourth as it pursued a state championship. Wyatt Folsom (3-over 75, third place in states) led the Black Bears, who were also led by freshmen James Marr and Ben Jewett and sophomore Brandon Chilton.
“They just came together and pushed each other all year,” Meserve said.
Kents Hill took the Class C title, shooting 332 to hold off St. Dominic (335) and defending champion Orono (336). Nico Von Gaudecker shot 2-over 74 to lead the Huskies and finish second in Class C, while Jackson Melendy and Jack Bonneford shot 83.
Skowhegan’s Riley Fitzpatrick lines up a shot on the first hole of the Class A golf championships on Oct. 9 in Vassalboro. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
Messalonskee had a solid season in Class A, turning in the best score at the KVAC A qualifier with a 339 and then placing 10th in the state tournament with a 354. Brandon Bearce and Sam Seekins both shot 82 to lead the Eagles in the qualifier, and Bearce’s 86 led the team in the state final.
In Class B, Cony qualified for the state tournament for the first time in over a decade. The Rams shot 369 in the qualifier to get the fourth and final spot, and then shot 393 for 10th in the state championship.
Oliver Rodrigue and Alex Fournier shot 88 in the qualifier to lead Cony, which graduated its top five scorers a season ago, and Fournier had a 92 and Brady Hopkins a 93 to lead the Rams at states.
“I’m going to have all but one back, and I have kids in the waiting that are eager to jump into that one spot,” Johnson said after the qualifier. “I think it’s a huge confidence booster.”
Individually, Rangeley’s Trevor Dolbier tied for eighth in Class C with an 81, Skowhegan’s Jaycie Christopher (101) was seventh in the Class A girls meet and Monmouth’s Averi Beaudoin and MCI’s Leah Deschaine tied for third in the Class C girls meet with 97s.
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