VASSALBORO — Who is going to be on their game Saturday at Natanis Golf Course?
That is the question a number of coaches will be asking themselves beginning at 10 a.m. when the Class A, B and C team golf championships get underway. While a number of teams look to be the favorites on paper, things can change quickly in practice given the tournament’s one-day format.
State Golf Tournament
When: 10 a.m., Saturday
Where: Natanis Golf Course, Vassalboro
Of note: Classes A and B will be on Tomahawk Course; Class C will be on Arrowhead.
“Golf is a funny game,” Mount View coach Craig Tozier said after his team captured Monday’s Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B Shootout at Rockland Golf Club. “On any given day to try to get four or five golfers to all have a good day is tough, but I feel confident. I’ve got depth and I think we can do it.”
The Mustangs figure to be one of a number of teams in contention for the Class B title behind a strong first four of Ross Delorenzo, Austin Higgins, Joey Danna and Cassidy Gerrish.
Maine Central Institute has been knocking on the door for a team title for the past few seasons and could finally get that championship Saturday. Juniors Eric Dugas and Carter Pearl will likely be in the hunt for the individual title as well in Class B, but each will need to have strong days Saturday and be backed up by solid scores from Nate Tilton, Kurt Larochelle and Seth Mason for the Huskies to bring home some hardware.
Gardiner is hoping its balance can put them in contention, as Logan Peacock, Cody Rizzo, Chad Prince, Sam Jermyn and Brady Smith are each capable of posting a score in the high 30s to lower 40s.
“We played well (Monday at Rockland) so just keep a positive mindset,” Jermyn said of the Tigers’ strategy. “We just have to do what we do, which is shoot low scores and shoot a low team score.
“As a team we’ve shot really low. We’ve shot in the 150s and that was a random occurrence. There’s nothing that could really stop us from doing it again.”
Last season’s runner-up, Cape Elizabeth, graduated its top player in Reese McFarland, yet the Capers routinely seem to find themselves in the mix at states. Old Town, which finished fourth last fall, has a number of key returners back as well.
Erskine will also be competing for the Class B title and will be buoyed by Justin Browne, Connor Paine, Robert Harmon, Branden Keezer and Kay Grady.
In Class C, defending champ Winthrop will look to defend its title but — as it learned at the Mountain Valley Conference championship and qualifier this past week — it will not be easy.
The Ramblers have one of the best golfers in Class C in Anthony Owens, but there might not be a team in the class with more depth than St. Dominic.
“They’re awfully deep,” Winthrop coach Lonney Steeves said. “If their three, four and five guys play the way they did this week, it will be very difficult for anybody to beat them.
“My kids are ready to go. We did not have a particularly good day at the qualifying so hopefully we can play a little bit better and who knows, maybe St. Dom’s doesn’t play as well.”
Nick Gammatoni, Justin Keany, Nate Richard, A.J. Parisi and Brandon Donovan will play for the Saints on Saturday, but the team has enough depth to where their No. 6 and 7 players would likely score for most teams. The Ramblers will look to No. 2 Charlie de Haas, No. 3 Brogan Plossay, No. 4 Zac Robertson and No. 5 Spencer Steele to try and close the gap with St. Dom’s.
Houlton lost its top golfer in Cameron Clark — who shot even par at team states last season — but brings back three of its top five from its third-place team, while last fall’s fourth-place finisher, Mattanawcook, returns each of its top four finishers — including defending Class C individual champ Logan Thompson.
Forest Hills is also back this season out of the East-West Conference, as Ian McKendry, Brant Worster, Elise McKendry, Carson Veilleux and Javier Padilla will look to help the Tigers improve on their eighth-place finish from a season ago.
The race in Class A, meanwhile, was a tight one a season ago and figures to come down to the wire once again this fall. Defending champ Scarborough, Thornton, Falmouth and Greely each figure to have legitimate chances at taking home the title, while Camden Hills — which is in its first season in Class A after a dominant run in Class B — looks to throw its name in the mix as well.
Messalonskee, which took home top billing at the KVAC A qualifier at Natanis on Tuesday after a tough showing at the KVAC Shootout Monday in Rockland, is hopeful for a strong performance as well.
“We’ve got a strong team,” Eagles No. 1 Billy Rollins said. “We just didn’t play the greatest (at Rockland).”
Rollins will be joined by teammates Dylan Burton, Jared Cunningham, Jacob Bernatchez and Blake Marden.
Classes A and B will compete on the Tomahawk course, while Class C will play on the Arrowhead course. Natanis general manager Rob Browne is confident both will be in good shape for Saturday’s event.
“We’ll be fine,” Browne said Friday afternoon. “There’s going to be a little standing water right now but the ground was so dry before even with all the rain we had last week that it will dry out fine. We have pumps and stuff for the traps. We’ve played in worse than this.
“They’re just going to have to be a little more conscious of the wetness. Some of the County teams were out (Friday) and they had to hit an extra club because it’s going to plug. You’re not going to get as much roll or anything.”
Evan Crawley — 621-5640
ecrawley@mainetoday.com
Twitter: @Evan_Crawley
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