Capers, Rebels, Stags win Houlton 2nd in C; Wildcats 3rd in B

VASSALBORO – The awards ceremonies had barely been completed when the rains returned to the Natanis Golf Course.

But on this day the weather proved just accommodating enough, finally allowing the twice-postponed state high school golf championships to be held on the two soggy, 18-hole layouts, Tomahawk and Arrowhead.

The day proved to be a Western Maine sweep, with Cheverus of Portland, Cape Elizabeth and Telstar of Bethel winning team championships, and Anthony Ardito of Cheverus, Keegan Fennessy of Poland and Brady Chapman of Telstar earning individual titles.

The closest battle came in Class B, where the top three teams were separated by just two strokes.

Cape Elizabeth emerged from that mini-pack to win its second state championship in the last three years, thanks to all four of its scoring golfers shooting in the 70s on the par-72 Arrowhead course.

Joe Geohegan led the Capers to a low total of 307 with his 75, while Matt Bernstein (76), John Hayes (77) and Alex Morin (79) provided a quality of depth that was just enough to hold off second-place Poland (308) and third-place Presque Isle (309).

Poland was led by Class B individual champion Keegan Fennessy, who shot a 2-under-par 70, while Presque Isle’s bid for its first state title was sparked by senior Chris Coffin, who shot a 1-over 73 to tie Adam Packard of Falmouth for second place in the individual competition.

“The course was pretty wet, so I just wanted to try and keep the ball in the fairway and I did that,” said Coffin. “I had some trouble putting, but that’s the way it goes.”

Brad Young and Spencer Deschene each shot 78 for the Wildcats, while Mike Hersey (80) and Matt Talbot (82) rounded out the Presque Isle contingent.

“We played well as a team and knew what we had to do, but we fell a little short,” Coffin said. “They deserved it, they shot better.”

Another Aroostook County team, Houlton High, finished second in Class C, just three strokes behind two-time state champion Telstar.

Telstar returned all five of its golfers from last year’s team, a group led by Chapman, an Arizona State-bound senior who shot the day’s best round regardless of class, a 4-under 68 on Arrowhead. He was consistent throughout his round, shooting 2-under on both his front and back nines.

“I knew from the first tee on that it would be a test to maintain playing well because it was going to be slow and wet,” said Chapman, who earned Class C individual honors for the second straight year. “I got in my zone and closed everything else out, stayed in my shell and mentally did the job.”

Chapman’s effort was supplemented by the play of Sean Caddigan (75), Kyle Maines (83) and Errol Andrews (85) as the Rebels posted an early team score of 311 and waited to see if would hold up.

It did, though Houlton made it close.

“The repeat is great,” said Chapman. “We had a solid team with four guys who could potentially shoot in the 70s. I thought the worst we were going to do was an 86 or 87 from our third or fourth guy, and our third guy [Andrews] shot 85 and our fourth guy [Maines] shot 83.”

Houlton, seeking its first state title since sharing the Class B crown with Greely of Cumberland Center in 1993, placed three golfers among the top 10 in the Class C individual competition en route to finishing second at 314.

Juniors Peter Hagan and Josh McGuire led the way, each with a 74, while freshman Porter Gervais shot a 79.

“We actually weren’t predicting a 314,” said Hagan. “We got to play this course three times, and our lowest score out of those three times was a 323, which is significantly higher than today, so we’re really proud of ourselves. It was a fun time, I think we all enjoyed ourselves.”

The Shiretowners, who did not field a senior in their lineup, also got solid contributions from Mike Cleary (87) and Chris McGuire (91).

“It was a great day,” said Houlton coach Bruce Nason. “We told the kids if we shot a 320 we’d be right in the hunt, and we shot 314 and just lost to a better team.”

North Yarmouth Academy, led by James Sterling’s 74, placed third with a 337, followed by fourth-place Orono (343). Kyle Weiland paced the Red Riots with an 80.

In Class A, Cheverus earned its first state championship with a three-stroke victory over second-place Waterville.

Ardito shot an even-par 72 on the tougher Tomahawk course to lead a strong 1-2 punch for the Stags that also included Brigham Michaud (74). Ryan Billings (84) and Zach Cloutier (86) rounded out the scoring for Cheverus, which finished with a team total of 316.

Joe Flowers, who finished one stroke behind Ardito in the Class A individual competition, led Waterville to its runner-up finish. Joel Allen (81), Steve Flowers (81) and Chris Hamel (84) also figured in the Purple Panthers’ scoring, enabling Waterville to finish three strokes ahead of both Kennebunk and Lewiston.

Bangor settled for fifth place with a team total of 329. The Rams were led by senior Ben Estabrook, who shot a 2-over-par 74 to tie Michaud for third place in the individual competition.

“I hit the ball real great,” said Estabrook, who shot 37 on each of his nines. “I probably only missed four or five greens, but I didn’t make a thing outside of six feet. If I have a normal day putting, I probably would have been under par.”