The battle at No. 1 lived up to its billing at the Country Club of Greenfield on Monday.
Greenfield ace Ryan Cote edged Frontier senior Mikey Corduff for medalist honors by one stroke, but Corduff’s Red Hawks took the team victory as Frontier picked up a 17½-6½ victory over the Green Wave in a Franklin County golf match.
Cote shot 38 for the second consecutive match to pace Greenfield, winning 2½ points in his tilt against Corduff. The Frontier star carded a 3-over 39, scoring 1½ points.
The Red Hawks (2-0) showcased their depth once again in scoring the team victory. Brady Burch registered 3½ point out of the No. 4 spot thanks to a round of 42, while Gunnar Moore (No. 2), Kyle Maynard (No. 3) and Rowan Blair (No. 5) all shot 43 and combined to score 10 out of a possible 12 points.
Gabe Mota performed well for the Green Wave (1-1), as his 44 was second-best on the team in Monday’s match and he won 1½ points at No. 5. Dylan Archer (46) and Drew Conant (49) also broke 50, while Matt Lavoine captured 1½ points at No. 6 behind a round of 54.
FC Tech 176, Hopkins 182 – Anthony Zager captured match medalist honors with a 41, and all six Franklin Tech golfers broke 50 en route to a six-stroke victory over Hopkins Academy in a match played Monday at Holyoke Country Club.
Matches against Hopkins for area schools this fall will take the low four scoring totals in lieu of individual head-to-head tilts.
Nate Sciandra shot 44 in a strong outing out of the No. 6 spot for the Eagles (1-1). Brady Booska was right behind with a 45, while teammate Alex Sulda (46) rounded out the scorers for the visitors on the afternoon. Jason Smith (48) and Ryan Artus (49) also broke 50 in the victory.
Greenfield 16, Athol 0 – Katie Haselton scored five goals and assisted on another to help host Greenfield open its 2020 campaign with a 16-0 win over Athol on Monday.
Nine different players scored for the Green Wave (1-0), which led 3-0 after one quarter but exploded for nine goals in the second period. Amber Taylor, Maddy Kuchieski (four assists) and Heather French all scored two goals apiece, while Kaylah Eggsware, Eva Pruitt-Dahl, Lucy Postera, Josie Cloutier and Lillia Kachelmeyer also found the back of the net.
Greenfield goalie Ainslee Flynn made four saves, and the defense performed well paced by Tess Rancourt.
“We had really good passing lanes, our communication was really good and we made smart plays defensively,” Greenfield coach Erin Thayer offered.
Athol goalie Samantha Kenniff made 21 saves in a strong outing between the pipes.
Greenfield visits Franklin Tech on Wednesday and Athol hosts Mahar today.