VASSALBORO — Three teams with a wealth of tradition and experience captured state golf championships Monday at Natanis Golf Course.

Falmouth won the Class A title while York won in Class B and St. Dominic took the Class C championship. State individual championships will be held Saturday at Natanis.

All three champions have a long history of winning. Falmouth won the Class B title last year and moved up to Class A this season. The Yachtsmen posted a four-person total of 312 to win handily over runner-up Cheverus at 331. Deering finished third.

Will Bucklin, Nick Franco and Matt Packard all played for last year’s team that posted a 315 total. Bucklin and Packard shot 74s on Monday, while Franco posted an 81.

“We have three private clubs in town,” Falmouth coach Spike Herrick said. “We have a lot of kids that play golf at an early age.”

Herrick has coached the team for 21 years. Over that span, the Yachtsmen won four titles in Class C and six in Class B. They are the only team to have won championships in all three classes.

Advertisement

Lawrence, making its first appearance in the team championships, shot 367. Junior Nick Noiles led the Bulldogs with 87 followed by Aaron Brown (91), Jordan Nutting (93) and Tyler Boudreau (96).

York, likewise, has a history of success. The Wildcats finished runner-up to Falmouth last year and this year won their fourth state championship. They returned three players from last year’s team led by senior Craig DeCato, who shot 76. The team totaled 322, well ahead of runner-up Yarmouth at 338. Presque Isle took third with 346. All five York players qualified for Saturday’s individual championships.

Making its first appearance in the team championships in 10 years, Maine Central Institute finished in a tie for fourth with 351. Freshman Gavin Dugas led the Huskies with 80, followed by Trevor Kitchin (87), Dylan Watrous (90) and Garth Stockwell.

“I’m really happy, tied for fourth out of 12 and I’m young,” MCI coach Paul Greco said. “I do lose my two seniors, but I’ve got four strong coming back.”

Maranacook finished in the middle of the Class B pack with 354. Sophomore Luke Ruffing led the Black Bears with 76, followed by Cameron Brochu (82), Tucker Whitman (96) and Matt Delmar (100). Winslow also returned to the Class B championships after a four-year absence. The Black Raiders totaled 382 led by Justin Kervin and Jarrod Parish with 92s. Ryan Dutil shot 96 and Mike Carpenter 98.

After finishing runner-up the past two years, St. Dom’s cruised to the title behind a veteran lineup that shot 327. Fort Fairfield finished second at 355 followed by Houlton at 368. Anthony Fagone led the Saints with 80. The school also won state titles in 2008 and 2009.

Advertisement

“All these kids playing today played the last two years,” St. Dom’s coach Kevin Cullen said. “They came in this year with one purpose, to do everything they could to make themselves better. They did that every day in practice. We didn’t take one day off. We practiced in every weather condition.”

Notes: Despite temperatures in the middle to upper 70s and a gentle breeze, scores were relatively high. Class A and B played the Tomhawk course, while Class C played Arrowhead. Herrick said the greens were hard and very fast on Tomahawk which contributed to high scores, while Cullen said there were tough pin placements on Arrowhead . . . This is the 27th year in a row Natanis has hosted the state championships. They were moved from Saturday to Monday because of Yom Kippur. The course was closed to the public Monday and offered play at Lakewood, which is also owned by the Browne family, to its members for $10. Natanis pro Dick Browne said members also were offered a discounted rate at Belgrade Lakes.

Gary Hawkins — 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.