Wahconah's Kaley Qualifies for Division 2 State Tournament
SOUTHWICK, Mass. – The Wahconah golf juggernaut Tuesday hit a red light on the putting greens at the Ranch Golf Club.
The season came to an end for most of the team with a fifth-place finish at the Division 2 Western Massachusetts Championships.
Belchertown won the event with an aggregate score of 25-over 313, six strokes ahead of runner-up Pope Francis. St. Bernard’s of Fitchburg claimed third place and the third team qualifying spot in next week’s State Championships.
Wahconah and Berkshire County will be represented at Bellingham’s Maplegate Country Club next week by Wahconah’s Tim Kaley. The reigning Berkshire Classic Champion placed ninth with a 6-over 78 in the field to claim an individual qualifying spot in the state tournament.
Palmer’s Ethan Beauchemin took medalist honors with a 2-under 70. Leominster’s Luke Grebinar and Patrick Ginnity of St. Bernard’s tied for second at 72.
Wahconah, which finished fourth at the sectional last fall, went into Tuesday’s tourney with the momentum of a 14-0 regular season.
Coach Pete Terpak pointed to putting as a sticking point on a day when his squad finished eight strokes out of a spot in the state tournament.
“The greens were very treacherous here when we were practicing, and I thought it would come down to putting,” Terpak said. “My third guy had 10 three-putts, which is 10 shots for him. Just very, very fast greens down here, and you have to be ready for them. I think our scores were high due to that.
“Talked to all of my guys right down the line, and they each had a handful of three-putts. When we practiced down here, the movement and speed was tremendous. And we’re not used to playing with greens like that.”
Patrick McLaughlin finished with an 8-over 80 that was good for 14th place. Brady Breitmaier (86) and Easton Anello (87) rounded out the scoring for Wahconah.
Monument Mountain’s Bradley Danyluk carded a 79 that left him tied for 10th and just out of a spot in the state tournament.
Greg Kay (91), Ian Mack (97) and Kitson Stover (97) also scored for the Spartans, who placed 11th in the team standings.
Terpak said that the team leader board shaped up about where he thought it would, except for Wahconah’s place on it.
“When we came here, I targeted 320 as the number, and Belchertown shot 317, so good for them,” he said. “That’s an excellent score. I thought our team was capable of 320, and we kind of had an off day at 331.
“But I’m still proud of them for the season, and we’re young. We need to take this experience and move forward for next year when these guys are seniors.”
Of course, one of Wahconah’s sophomores is not done this fall.
“I think it’s awesome just to keep the season going another week,” Kaley said. “I’ll go out there and see if I can break 80. Just go out and have fun, see if I can play well.”
Terpak was happy to see Kaley have the chance.
“It will be a good experience for Tim,” he said. “He missed by one shot last year, and he was so disappointed. I’m happy for him. Even though he’s disappointed over there with his score … it’s going to be a great experience for him.”
Team Scores
1. Belchertown, 313
2. Pope Francis, 319
3. St. Bernard’s, 323
4. Leominster, 326
5. Wahconah, 331
6. Palmer, 348
6. Tantasqua, 348
8. Hampshire, 355
9. South Hadley, 356
10. Quabbin, 363
11. Monument Mountain, 364
12. Greenfield, 378
13. Frontier, 379
14. St. Mary’s, 406
Local Finishers
Wahconah (331)
Tim Kaley, 78; Patrick McLaughlin, 80; Brady Breitmaier, 86; Easton Anello, 87; Sam McLaughlin, 90; Vincent Scalise, 97.
Monument Mountain (364)
Bradley Danyluk, 79; Greg Kay, 91; Ian Mack, 97; Kitson Stover, 97; Liam Trask, 98; Paul Naventi, 127.