CHS golfers capture D2 North title, take 2nd at States
By Mike Berger
L-R: Head coach Mike Barucci and CHS golfers Nate MacDonald, Conor Hunter, Mike Leonetti, Charlie Cohen, Will Gefteas, and Mekhala Costello pose with their Division 2 state finalist trophy.
The Canton High golf team ended a spectacular 2021 season with a second-place finish at the Division 2 state championship tournament on Monday, October 25.
The match was played in rainy, windy and cold conditions at the Sandy Burr Golf Club in Wayland. Canton finished with a combined team score of 309 — 21 over par and just four strokes behind eventual champion Bishop Stang.
Senior captains Will Gefteas and Conor Hunter led the Bulldogs with identical scores of 75 (+3), tying them for ninth on the individual leaderboard out of a field of more than 90 golfers. Fellow captain Mike Leonetti finished one shot back with a round of 76, while senior Nate MacDonald completed the team scoring with an 83. Also participating in the state finals were sophomore Mekhala Costello (84) and senior Charlie Cohen (85).
“It was an incredible season that came right down to the end,” noted head coach Mike Barucci, who recently celebrated his 100th coaching victory in just his ninth season at the helm. “For us to put up those scores in the cold and rain is a huge accomplishment. I couldn’t be prouder of how they all played. Finishing as the second-best team in the state in Division 2 is an incredible way to close out an incredible season.”
The performance capped a memorable final two weeks for the Bulldogs in which they clinched a fifth consecutive Davenport Division title and second straight undefeated regular season (14-0); battled the Kelley-Rex champs to a second-place finish at the Hockomock League Championships; and took home the Division 2 North crown at last Tuesday’s sectional finals at Bradford Country Club.
In the latter event, Canton combined for a team score of 319, edging runner-up Austin Prep by three strokes and North Andover by four.
Leonetti was the low scorer for the Bulldogs with a six-over 76 (T-4), followed by Gefteas with a 79, Costello with an 80, and Hunter with an 84. Cohen and MacDonald also competed for 18 holes and finished with an 87 and 88, respectively.
“They battled a tough course, fast greens, cold and windy weather and came out on top,” Barucci said of his team’s sectional championship win. “I couldn’t be prouder of how they played.”
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Posted by Mike Berger
on Oct 29 2021. Filed under High School, Sports.
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