BRETTON WOODS – It had been 61 years since Portsmouth High School won a New Hampshire golf state championship when the Clippers stepped on the Mount Washington Resort Golf Club course on Tuesday, Oct. 14 in the nine-team Division II championship.
Yes, junior Grey Gagnon carded a medalist round of 3-under par 69, and, yes, two teammates, both juniors, Thijs Beelan and Gus Baker both finished in the top five.
However, it wasn't until Turner Leduc, a captain and one of three seniors on the team, double-bogeyed the first hole, his final hole of the day, that the Clippers held off defending champion Souhegan for a one-shot victory, 377-378.
"Turner was the last guy on the team out on the course, and he needed to get up and down from a difficult spot to shoot 83 (and for us to win)," Portsmouth head coach Kyle Harrison said. "For him to get up and down and squeak it out, and for us to win by one was great. I know it was really exciting for him. He's a senior captain and been close (tow winning) a couple of times before, so for him to win his senior year was pretty special."
St. Thomas Aquinas shot a 389 and placed third, while Oyster River (417) was fifth, and Winnacunnet (429) was seventh.
"This is a definitely a nice note to end on," Leduc said. "It was a pleasure and it was going to be a fun round with the boys. Whether we won or lost I was going to have a good time; (winning a state title) is a nice way to put the cherry on top."
Gagnon, who won last year's Division II indivdiual championship, had three birdies and 15 pars on the day.
"I bet his shoulders feel sore after today," Leduc laughed. "It's a pleasure to have him on the team. I think I am a decent golfer but, in comparison to (Gagnon), he's light years ahead. It's fun to play with all these guys."
"It feels great to win it," Gagnon said. "It's interesting that Portsmouth hasn't had a better team in the past 61 years, but it's great to be on the team that got it done."
Leduc, when he approached the par-4 first, didn't think his score was going to be good enough to be counted. He tied for 24th at 11-over-par 83.
"I went into that last hole trying to stave off something (positive)," Leduc said. "The drive was OK, there was a bit of a kerfuffle on the second and third (shots), but in the end, it was a double-bogey to win. It was a lucky turn of events."
Portsmouth went 27-2 in the regular season, the only losses were both to Souhegan; by three shots on Souhegan's home course and by one at Portsmouth Country Club.
"I've had some good teams in the past," Harrison said. "We knew we had to play well to beat (Souhegan) in states. It was just exciting that these kids did it."
Portsmouth's 'horses' come through
Gagnon shot a 3-under-par 69 and placed first in a field of 78, beating his teammate Beelan and Jacob Wilson of Souhegan by three strokes.
Portsmouth's Gus Baker and Matt Howie of Hollis-Brookline tied for fourth with a 1-over-par 73, and Portsmouth's Grant Haberstroh tied for 15th with a 8-over-par 80.
"My horses at the top – Gagnon was as advertised, and (Beelan), who was under par for most of the day, had a couple of hiccups but finished strong and shot even par," Harrison said. "And I can't say enough about (Baker). He's come on strong this year, so solid. They absolutely played great at the top. And then (Haberstroh) shoots an 80. He's been up and down throughout the year; for him to shoot 80 was awesome."
St. Thomas Aquinas places third
St. Thomas Aquinas junior Cooper Choate tied for sixth with a 2-over-par 74, while teammate Ryan Allard tied for eighth at 3-over-par 75. Grant Baker tied for 12th at 6-over-par 78, and Finn Perry was tied for 15th at 8-over-par 80. Colby Flaim and Joe Mollica tied for 22nd at 10-over-par 82.
Oyster River places fifth
Oyster River freshman Joey Alvarez shot a team best 12-over-par 84, tying for 27th. Teammates Wyatt Churchill and Drew Ramsay tied for 29th with a 13-over-par 85. Alex Moody tied for 37th with a 15-over-par 87, and teammates Yash Joglekar and Casey Faul tied for 41st, with two others, at 16-over-par 88.
Winnacunnet places seventh
Aiden Cink tied for 15th at 8-over-par 80, while Alec Mitchell tied for 32nd (86). Will Koutalidis and Colby Swasey tied for 37th with an 87, Anthony Del Medico tied for 45th with an 89, and Brock Emery tied for 60th with a 93.
Top 16 individuals move on to individual championship
The top 16 golfers will advance to Saturday's second-and-final round of the Division II individual championship at Beaver Meadow Golf Course in Concord. Portsmouth and St. Thomas Aquinas will represent half the field with four golfers each.
Scores from Tuesday's team championship will be combined with Saturday's round for a 36-hole final. So, Gagnon will hold a 3-shot lead going into Saturday, and Harrison considers Gagnon the favorite to repeat his championship from last year.
"He makes very few mistakes, so someone will have to go under par, in my opinion, to beat him," Harrison said. "It's so enjoyable to watch him. He's just so steady, he has improved over the last couple of years his distance and ball striking. I've been doing this a long time and I haven't seen someone who has consistently been around par as a high school golfer as I've seen out of (Gagnon). It's a pleasure to watch."
Dover places sixth in D1; Exeter, Spaulding tandems compete
CANTERBURY – Dover junior Ty Buchanan shot a 6-over-par 78 and tied for 11th, and classmate Michael Gorham shot a a 7-over-par 79 and tied for 13th as the Green Wave placed sixth in the eight-team Division I championship at Canterbury Woods Country Club.
Bedford won the team championship with a score of 381, beating Bishop Guertin by 17 shots.
Dover's Ryan Sawyer and Brayden Patel tied for 40th with a 13-over-par 85, while Sam MacGregor tied for 45th (86) and Ben Zbikowski (87) tied for 49th.
Both Buchanan and Gorham qualified to continue to Saturday's Division I individual championship at Beaver Meadow.
Exeter's Nolan Engler shot an 82 and tied for 24th, while teammate Chase Jumper shot an 83 and tied for 29th.
Spaulding junior Evan Trepanier shot an 83 and placed 29th, and sophomore James Mabey shot an 89 and tied for 58th.
"They both played great," Spaulding coach Butch Emerson said. "Tough conditions today, tough pin placements, and lightning fast greens. I’m very proud of their integrity, their character, and their sportsmanship. They represented their team, their school, and their community very well today."
Oyster River's Nadeau, Winnacunnet's Fleming qualify for girls tourney
Oyster River junior Teagan Nadeau shot an even-par 71 and placed first in the New Hampshire girls state championship qualifier on Saturday, Oct. 4 at Campbell's Scottish Highlands. Winnacunnet's Norah Fleming was sixth with a 13-over-par 84.
The top six from the qualifier will compete Saturday, Oct. 18 for the girls individual championship at Beaver Meadow.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth wins first NHIAA golf state championship in 61 years.
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