The seventh score decided the fate of the nine-hole match Friday for the Martha’s Vineyard varsity boys’ golf match against Nauset High School. The Vineyarders and the Warriors faced off against each other at Vineyard Golf Club’s course, where sophomore Gusto Martone’s score of 46 was enough to give the Vineyarders a 252-253 win.
In high school golf matches, the top six scores of each team. When the Vineyarders and Nauset top six tied, they went to the next best scores, and the local sophomore’s 46 beat Nauset’s 49.
Vineyard sophomore Shane Harding and senior Chandler Blau each shot 41 for the team. Seniors Jacoby Light and Peter Williamson both posted 42, and junior Jake Gatchell and senior Ben Kokoszka each shot 43.
Nauset’s Oliver Smith posted the best score with a 28, and Owen Everson shot a 39 for Nauset.
The match was the Island team’s second win this season over Nauset, a team they have historically struggled to beat.
Head Coach Henry Smith said Nauset is always a challenge.
“We have not had much success in the past few years against Nauset,” he said.
But this year’s record tells a different story. Vineyarders also beat Nauset in the first game of the season on Sept. 8 and now have a 6-2 record.
Smith said the Vineyard team’s success this season can be attributed to a new depth they haven’t had in a few years. Smith said sophomores Martone and Harding, led by a strong upper-classmen heavy roster of five seniors and one junior, lend a needed depth to the team.
The goal for the team is state finals, Smith said, and as of right now, the Island team has a good chance of qualifying.
“Looking pretty good for qualifying for the state tournament, and we got some tough ones coming up, so we’re gaining momentum at the right time,” Smith said. “As long as you qualify, anyone can really win, so that’s where our goals are at.”
Light, who has reached sectional twice and the state finals last year, has a high bar set for him by Smith.
“My expectations for him are very high,” Smith said. “He could do something really special this year.”
The Vineyarders also hosted the Vineyard Invitational at the Vineyard Golf Club’s course on Sunday, in which they invited 11 other teams to compete.
At the annual tournament, each team used the best three scores for 18 holes. Nauset won at 220, four over par. Barnstable was second at 230, followed by Sandwich at 234, Monomoy at 236, and Falmouth at 239. Martha’s Vineyard shot 242 for sixth, ahead of St. John Paul II (243), Bishop Stang (244), Dennis-Yarmouth (247), Duxbury (249), and Sturgis East (326).
The Vineyard golf team beat Cape Cod Academy 248-327 at the Wianno Golf Club in Osterville Monday, Oct. 5. They are scheduled to play Sandwich Middle High School at Farm Neck Golf Club at 3:15 pm Tuesday Oct. 6.
