It’s a big week for NHIAA golf, with four team champions and five individual champions slated to be crowned this week.
The top eight teams in each of the four divisions will tee off in their championships at separate venues throughout the week: Divisions I and II on Tuesday, and D-III and D-IV on Thursday. The top eight teams in each division, based on regular-season records, qualified for the team championship competition. Teams that did not qualify will send their top two individuals to compete.
The round of 18 holes played on those days will determine the team champions and also serve as the first round for the individual championship. The top 16 individuals at each of those four events will make the cut for Saturday’s second round, which will be held at Concord’s Beaver Meadow Golf Course. The 18 holes played on Saturday will determine the individual titles.
Six players have already punched their tickets to Beaver Meadow. The first round of the NHIAA girls’ individual state championship was contested on Oct. 4 at Campbell’s Scottish Highlands. Bishop Brady junior Mady Savary currently sits in third place with a 4-over 75, two strokes behind Manchester Central sophomore Josie Lefebvre and four strokes behind the leader, Oyster River senior Teagan Nadeau.
Below is a quick snapshot of which eight teams made the cut for their respective team championship (based on regular-season records), how local teams fared, and some storylines to keep an eye on throughout the week.
Division I
At Canterbury Woods
Qualified teams: Bedford (25-0), Bishop Guertin (21-2), Hanover (21-3), Londonderry (19-4), Pinkerton (18-8), Dover (15-8), Windham (15-10), Concord (15-10).
Notes: The Crimson Tide and Windham edged Exeter (14-11) for the final spots in the team competition, but you can throw regular-season records out the window when it’s time to play that round. Concord learned that the hard way last year, entering the championship with a D-I leading record of 24-2, but finishing in sixth place. The Tide should benefit from playing on a local course, which was also the site of the D-I championship a year ago. Junior Zach Nelson and sophomore Parker Lamb both represented Concord in last year’s championship, with Nelson making the cut and finishing sixth individually. Nelson has consistently been Concord’s No. 1 player, winning medalist or co-medalist honors five times out of 10 matches. Seniors Tyler Morin and Kale Washburn also earned co-medalist honors at least this past season, while senior Jack Brien, Lamb and freshman Henry Diaz have been in the No. 2 spot for the Tide throughout the season.
Division II
At Mount Washington Resort Golf Club
Qualified teams: Souhegan (26-1), Portsmouth (27-2), St. Thomas (23-6), Oyster River (22-6), Bow (20-8), Hollis-Brookline (15-12), Timberlane (14-14), Goffstown (13-15), Winnacunnet (13-15).
Local teams not qualified: Pembroke (12-17), Merrimack Valley (10-20).
Notes: Bow’s only losses came against teams that finished in the top four of the regular season, including three losses to Portsmouth, but a challenging Mount Washington course could level the playing field, as can the wind and rain that is in the forecast for Tuesday.
“That course can be a tough place to play,” Bow head coach Matt Davis said. “Although it is open, you still have to make shots and the weather can be a big factor. It is definitely scoreable, but the conditions can make it challenging.”
The Falcons are led by junior Jake Gancarz, who is the top Capital Area golfer looking to make the cut.
Division III
At Owl’s Nest Vineyard
Qualified teams: Bishop Brady (23-0), Derryfield (25-1), Gilford (16-4), Monadnock (18-8), Lebanon (16-8), Trinity (17-10), Plymouth (17-10), John Stark (16-10)
Local teams not qualified: Kearsarge (11-17), Coe-Brown (3-20)
Notes: The defending champion Bishop Brady Green Giants rolled to a perfect record in the regular season, but haven’t faced their biggest challenger, Derryfield, since their first match on Aug. 27. Brady returns lots of experience from last year’s championship team, including Savary (runner-up in the girls’ state championship and D-III medalist last season), sophomore Chase Connor (seventh) and junior Luke Bedard (ninth). Savary and Connor won medalist honors several times throughout the season, with senior Alex Pelletier and juniors Peyton Cone, Sean Dunn, and Joseph Rawnsley providing excellent depth and all turning in scoring performances for the Giants at different points. John Stark earned the eighth and final spot in the team championship and is competing for a title for the first time since 2021. The Generals, led by juniors Landon Duclos and Daniel Brisson, went 4-21 in 2023 and 11-18 last season.
Division IV
At Newport Country Club
Qualified teams: Mascenic (25-1), White Mountains (24-2), Hopkinton (19-4), Sunapee (17-9), Hillsboro-Deering (17-9), Conant (15-8), Belmont (15-8), Inter-Lakes (18-11)
Local teams not qualified: Concord Christian (11-18)
Notes: The Hawks have shown tremendous depth for a D-IV program and that could be what puts Hopkinton over the top against the division’s best.
“To do something special there, we’ll need our top four to all play their best on the same day,” Hopkinton head coach Ted Wells said.
Junior Devin Allen, a newcomer to the Hawks this season, burst onto the scene, consistently finishing as Hopkinton’s low score, with sophomore Aidan Clay also earning medalist honors in a match. Juniors Coley Wells and Molly Hodgdon, and sophomores Chet Behner and Beckett St. Cyr have also been consistent contributors.
This season has marked a huge turnaround for two other local programs, with H-D back at the team tournament level for the first time since 2015 and Belmont qualifying for the team championship for the first time since 2009. H-D is led by Gavin Ford, who finished fifth individually in 2023 and sixth last year, and is a contender for the individual crown. Belmont is led by juniors Max Ryder and Jordan DeFrancesco, with fellow juniors Ben Girard and Jasper Sottak, and sophomores Alex Rowley and Brayden Pucci rounding out the Red Raiders championship squad.