MILLIS — The wind was howling as golfers teed off at the Division 2 state championship Monday morning at Glen Ellen Country Club.
Wayland defied the wind and the best the division had to offer, shooting a 306 to claim the title.
The Warriors barely got past runner-up Duxbury (308), with Catholic Memorial (315), Concord-Carlisle (318), and Hingham (321) rounding out the top five.
The Warriors shot a practice round Saturday, the first time they had seen Glen Ellen. They got a feel for the course layout and the greens, but it was impossible to replicate the wind they would face. The unpredictable gusts were in the back of every competitor’s mind and played a significant role in Wayland’s game plan.
“In fall golf the elements are something we are used to dealing with, but the wind was something we had to think about today,” Wayland coach Thomas Anthoine said. “I told my guys not to overswing, take one less club, and keep your ball below the tree line so it’s not vulnerable.”
Wayland failed to qualify for the state tournament last year, therefore, the first goal was playing to its potential at the North sectionals, which it did, winning by 10 strokes. Junior George Mead was the medalist at sectionals and the Warriors gained the confidence they needed to make a statement at “The Glen”.
The key ingredient in Wayland’s winning formula was balance. “A few of us shot low and we didn’t have to depend on just one guy,” senior captain Nick Morgan said. “That’s how we have been all year. Everyone has each other’s back.”
Senior Nick Barber shot a 5-over-par 77, Mead fired a 1-over 73, and Morgan shot an even par-72, making the Warriors the only team other than Duxbury to have three athletes finish under 80.
Morgan hit a wedge over the green on the first hole and wound up bogeying, far from the start he had envisioned. But the individual runner-up collected himself and turned it on down the stretch to birdie four of the last five holes and get to par. He has received scholarship offers from Saint Anselm, Gettysburg, and Endicott.
Mead, who also has received Division 1 offers, birdied four holes to place third overall. He likely will take the reins from Morgan and become the Warriors’ next captain.
“We all knew we had a great chance if we played our game,” Mead said. “Saturday was a huge help because the greens run extremely fast here, almost as fast as the wind today.”
The surprise of the day was Somerset-Berkley’s A.J. Guidotti, who took home individual honors by shooting a 1-under 71 despite the brutal conditions. The Blue Raiders finished second in the Northeast Conference and failed to qualify for states. The sophomore, who was third on his team in scoring this year, qualified for the individual tournament by a stroke at Easton Country Club Tuesday.
Duxbury’s Alex Jamieson and Jared Sullivan rounded out the individual top five with a 73 and a 74, respectively.