Seniorless Dexter golf team repeats as State ‘C’ champion

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VASSALBORO – Repeating as state champion in any sport can be difficult and the Dexter High School golf team heard their schoolmates’ expectations this year.

“Last year was a breakthrough year and we weren’t expected to do anything, but this year, at least at our school, everybody was like ‘you have to repeat, you have to repeat,”‘ said junior Skye Dillon. “So I think we felt the pressure, but we were ready to step up to it.”

The young Tigers – there are no seniors on this year’s team – simply went out and played steady golf on a nice, comfortable fall day at Natanis Golf Course, improved their overall, man-for-man performance, and carded an even lower score than last year for the team’s second straight Class C state team title.

The Tigers shaved four strokes off last year’s score for 329 and won the Class C crown by five strokes over St. Dominic of Auburn.

The championship was a surprise for the second year in a row for Dexter golf coach Gary Rees.

Heading into last year’s fall season, Rees wasn’t expecting much.

It was his first season coaching the Tigers after replacing longtime coach and Maine women’s golf legend Martha White. Rees was just hoping for slow, steady improvement.

What he got was a team state championship.

This year, with his two senior leaders lost to graduation and no seniors on the team, another experienced player opting to defect to play football, and his No. 5 player having virtually no previous golf experience, Rees’ expectations were even more tempered.

Evidently, his team didn’t share Rees’ reserved outlook.

“We’re all pretty talented and I knew we could come down here and shoot low scores,” said junior Brett Towle. “It was really all about the two guys who had to step in and show they could be valuable, and they really did that today.”

In the other classes, Deering of Portland won its first state golf title in Class A by shooting 313 and beating runner-up Messalonskee of Oakland by five strokes. The most dominating performance of the day was turned in by York, which carded an eye-popping 309 to outdistance runner-up Cape Elizabeth by 10 strokes in Class B. Winslow was third at 324.

“I knew York was good, I just didn’t know how good,” said Winslow golf co-coach Dick Browne. “When you look at a number like that, even on our best days, we’ve shot some 314s and 315s, but 309 is just something you have to take your hat off to. We can’t beat that.”

Last year, Thornton Academy won the Class A title with a 307 and the best score in the last six years is 306 by Ellsworth in 2000.

In Class C, the Tigers weren’t without weapons as last year’s top golfers – sophomore Matt Murray and Dillon – plus No. 5 golfer Towle were back.

“Basically throughout the year, we all medaled at one time or another,” said Dillon. “Me and Matt had three and Brett had two, so with that nucleus, we knew we could depend on each other.”

The key was how the Tigers could fill the fourth and fifth spots.

“We really had to play with just four guys who could shoot low 40s and there was some pressure in Dexter because of what we did last year, but it was fine,” said Towle, who shot an 88 Saturday.

Murray led the way with a 77 and Dillon was right behind him at 78 as they improved their scores three and four strokes, respectively, from last year.

Sophomore Tim McCarthy has more than adequately filled the gaping hole in the fourth slot and more than held up his end Saturday with an 86.

“We had two guys who could step right in and they did their job,” said Murray, who admitted he’s already thinking about a possible three-peat next year. “We needed a couple other guys who could come in and just be consistent. As the season went on, we gained more and more confidence.”

Freshman Buster Brown had a 110. The freshman has come along in his first season of organized golf.

“Really, we’ve had a great foursome and our fifth guy is brand new to the sport, so for him to be our fifth guy really says a lot about him,” said Rees, who now has eight state titles to his credit.

Rees won three Class A and three Class B state crowns with Greely of Cumberland Center, and now has a chance for three in C as well.

“With the loss of leadership we had last year, just getting back to states would have been good for us this year,” the Dexter Municipal Golf Course pro said. “It was kind of funny. Once we did get here, I kind of predicted 330 and I was kind of hoping we’d improve by a couple strokes.

“We ended up doing that and then some.”

In Class A, Rob Jarvis’ Bangor team carried the banner for Eastern Maine with a fifth-place finish. The Rams’ team of Zach Adair (78), Steve Lucius (79), Nick Estabrooke (84), Tim Hardy (86) and Jamie Mansfield (92) gave Bangor a score of 327.

In Class B, Browne’s Winslow team may not have taken home any trophies, but moving up to third after a seventh-place finish last year and barely qualifying to play in the state tourney two years ago put a smile on his face.

“We’re starting to show our program is established,” said Browne, who coaches the team along with Harold “Tank” Violette. “People are starting to ask how we’re doing and they know we’re not just a football, field hockey school.”