The annual rite of glory and passage, known as the Section VI boys golf state qualifier, took place on Monday, May 20th, at Grand Island’s River Oaks golf club. 70 golfers took aim at the 27-hole tournament, but only 22 made the 18-hole cut of 88 strokes after playoff. On a chilly day made challenging by the wet weather of spring, a score under 80 after 18 turned out to be a guarantee to advance. 8 golfers pulled off that feet, and all move on to Cornell University this weekend for the NYSPHSAA boys golf state championship tournament.
Orchard Park high school turned out to be the big winner on the day, as three golfers gained membership on this year’s state team. Aidan Shaw, a Junior, defeated Medina’s Ian Wagner for medalist honors. The pair shot matching scores of 76-39, then went into sudden-victory playoff competition, with the Quaker defeating the Mustang. Shaw was joined by teammates Ben Spitz (senior) and Charlie Fischer (8th grade). Wagner was the only northerner to advance to state play.
The powerful East Aurora/Holland squad sends two representatives on to Ithaca. Andrew LaCongo and Mitch Jeffe matched 78-42 scores for 120 totals. They are the 6th and 7th seeds, respectively. Also moving on are 8th grader Jacob Dantonio from Lancaster, 10th grader Ryan Edholm of Sweet Home, and 11th grader Tyler Birdd of Iroquois.
Today (Saturday the 1st of June) the team is on course for a practice round. Follow Section VI coordinator Nate Leary (Orchard Park coach and ECIC coordinator) on Twitter at @opgolfcoach for a live feed of the practice round. Chances are excellent that he will be live-streaming on Sunday (round one) and Monday (round two) of the tournament proper.
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