Wall, Ranney win titles at NJ boys golf state championship; CBA bids for overall title
By the time the final putt dropped at Monday’s NJSIAA Boys Golf State Championship at Raritan Valley in Bridgewater, Shore Conference teams had put the finishing touches on what has been an incredibly competitive season locally.
A day after CBA alumni Chris Gotterup won on the PGA Tour, the Colts made a run at the overall title, eventually finishing second with a total of 312, behind only Delbarton, which shot 299 to win the team title and the Non-Public A crown.
And CBA’s Jack Puma was in the hunt for individual honors, finishing at 1-under-par 71 in a tie for sixth, two-shots out of a four-way playoff for the championship. The Colts got a 79 from freshman Jack Stamberger, an 80 from senior Evan Sorensen and an 82 from junior Jack O’Connor.
Monmouth’s Jack Hennelly shot 73 to finish tied for ninth overall, the only other Shore player in contention individually, and was third in Group 2.
Wall made it back-to-back Group 2 championships, as the Crimson Knights shot 322 to finish a shot clear of Madison, as senior Pat Scenna and Boden Pepe finished with 78s. Wall also got an 81 from senior Charlie Cormey and an 85 from sophomore Chase Jakubowski.
During the four seasons Scenna, bound for Monmouth University in the fall, was in the Crimson Knights’ lineup, they won three Group 2 titles.
“Today we just played for each other, not as individuals,” said Wall coach Matt Stefanski. “Just four players playing as a team, and that’s why we won by a shot.
Ranney, which won its first Shore Conference Tournament title this spring, won the program’s first Non-Public B championship, finishing at 321, second best among Shore teams and 20 shots clear of Morristown-Beard in the Non-Public B race.
Leading the way for the Panthers was sophomore Gavin Karlin at 77, finishing third in Non-Public B. But the depth they’ve shown all season as the difference, with Shore Conference champion John Welch shooting 78 and sophomore Sam Landers finishing with a 79. Junior Chris Hannan shot 87 to close out the scoring for Ranney.
It’s been a groundbreaking run for Ranney since it stunned the field at the SCT, unseating defending champion Wall. They went on to win the Central/South Non-Public B sectional last week, before rolling to the state title Monday.
Among the other Shore Conference teams that qualified, Holmdel, which finished third at the SCT, shot 332 to finish third in Group 2. Sophomore Ryan Quigley paced the Hornets with a 78, while senior Patrick Sharpe and junior Matt Merkel 82 and sophomore Remy Mander added a 90.
Freehold Township, which grabbed the second spot up for grabs at the Central/South Group 4 tournament, shot 352 to place fourth in Group 4. Senior Christian Klemanowicz, who was near the top of the leaderboard midway through the round, finished at 78. The Patriots got an 85 from senior Matthew Cecilione and a 102 from senior Ansel Patel.
Middletown South senior Daniel Cassidy, who qualified as an individual, finished at 81.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Wall, Ranney win NJ boys golf championships; CBA bids for state title
