Owen Wilkinson put on a show in the Division III state golf tournament in Rochester, tying for first with a score of 80, putting him in good position for a potential individual state title.
“Owen did a fantastic job keeping the ball in play and I think his huge advantage on the field is the greens were playing very quick, and he is used to those speeds,” said Coach Ryan Seaver.
Wilkinson tees off this morning with a three stroke lead to start the individual championship match at Beaver Meadow in Concord, where he will battle for 18 holes with his eye on the prize.
The star sophomore’s 80 was a plus nine, tying him with senior Aiden Boule of the state champion Bishop Brady squad for the top spot. Wilkinson has been red hot, as he previously shot a two under par in the final home match for Stevens. He hopes to continue this trend and come away with a state title today.
“He knows the Beaver Meadow course well. He has played it five to six times over the past year and he brings the experience,” said Seaver. “I’m looking forward to what he can accomplish!”
Overall, Stevens was seventh out of eighth teams with a score of 378 in the state championship. Bishop Brady won the title with a score of 329, handily defeating the rest of the pack. Derryfield (344) was second, followed by Plymouth (369) in third, Lebanon (372) in fourth, Gilford (373) in fifth, Pelham (374) in sixth and Coe-Brown (395) in eighth.
“We definitely had a rough day yesterday,” Seaver said. “I think if we started on the front nine we would have played much better but the greens were tough and the back nine got the best of us with how narrow it was.”
Individual scores for the Cardinals in the finals were as follows:
Owen Wilkinson: 80
Ian Gersberg: 96
Aubree Herzog: 99
Oliver Beeman: 105
Elli Girard: 107
Justin Demars: 114
Raegyn Brothers 127
The Cardinals finished the season going 11-1 down the stretch, and went from eighth to sixth in the standings. Seaver pointed out that there were some ups and downs throughout the fall, but he felt it was a great year for the squad.
“We were excited to get back to the playoffs and finish the season 20-10,” Seaver said.
