The final two days of October marked the finale of the high school fall golf season in Massachusetts. Three teams and three individuals earned state championship titles at their respective divisional championships, all taking place in separate regions of the state.
Playing on his home course on his 18th birthday, Vanderbilt-bound Ryan Downes captured the Division I individual title for the second consecutive year to finish his senior year in style. Downes, who won the Mass Amateur Championship earlier this year, shot 4-under-par 68, a three-stroke victory Tuesday. He edged out Westford Academy’s Ilan Rashdan (71) and Hingham’s Carson Erick (75), who won the Mass Junior Amateur Championship at GreatHorse this past summer.
St. John’s (Shrewsbury) ran away with the team title with a score of 303, 11 strokes better than the rest of the field. The Pioneers were packed together in the field as Nic Gebhardt (75), Ronan Mooney (75), Savar Bhasin (76), and Cael Duggan & Curtis McDonald (77) all combined to capture the title. Saint John’s Prep (Danvers) was runner-up with a team score of 314.
Congratulations to the MIAA D1 Golf State Champions, St. John’s HS (303)! The state runner up was St. John’s Prep (314). Ryan Downes of Longmeadow took down the individual title by shooting a 68! @MIAA033 @SJHS_PioneersAD @sjpathletics pic.twitter.com/Zmno8H0xXg
— Phil Napolitano (@Napa13) November 1, 2023
Charlie Potter lifted Dover-Sherborn’s golf team to a state championship and in the process took home medalist honors by shooting a 1-over-par 71 on Tuesday at Thorny Lea Golf Club. Potter, a sophomore, knocked down a pair of birdies, including on the 17th (started on hole 3) to pull ahead of runner-up Brandon Vitarsi, of Reading, who shot 72.
Dover-Sherborn tallied 314 strokes, edging Bishop Stang by two. Tim Hill (75), Grant Meyer (83), and Griffin Sipp (85) gave the Raiders enough for victory.
And with a combined score of +34 (to par gross), your Div. 2 golf champion is…Dover-Sherborn (@DSRaidersSports). @BostonHeraldHS @EagleSportsZone pic.twitter.com/DB0HchIJob
— Brendan Connelly (@BConn63) October 31, 2023
The Weston High School boys went back-to-back as they secured a second straight title with a one-stroke victory over St. John Paul II. Senior standout Zach Pelzar, who will attend Emory University next year, paced the Wildcats with a 4-over-par 75. William Balz (79), William Goldstein (83), Teddy Dreyer (85), Andrew Goldstein (91), and Rob Morsilli (95) also contributed to the team title.
St. John Paul II’s Jack Carstensen got off to a less-than-ideal start when he had to take an unplayable off his drive and made a triple bogey on the opening hole. From there, he played par golf, shooting 3-over 74 to capture the individual title.
MIAA D3 Golf State Champions, Weston (322)! St. John Paul II, State Runner-up (323). Jack Carstensen (SJP II) Individual State Champion (74). The D3 field showed resiliency by playing through tough conditions. @MIAA033 @WestonAthletic @SJPIIPanthers pic.twitter.com/BBoBJhLrOf
— Phil Napolitano (@Napa13) October 30, 2023
