Marriotts Ridge entered the second day of the Maryland 1A/2A golf championships with a 19-stroke lead on second-place River Hill. It was a healthy margin, but on a blustery Wednesday at the University of Maryland course in College Park, the wind made nothing a certainty.
Drives were blown into the rough, wayward approach shots found bunkers, and hardened greens sent putts past holes. Frustration was apparent throughout, but the Mustangs — led by girls’ champion Faith McIlvain — kept their composure to capture the state title.
“It was definitely frustrating having bad shots affected by the wind,” said McIlvain, who followed her first-day 72 with an 81 in the difficult conditions. “The wind is something you can’t control, so you just have to keep your rhythm and stay calm and just play shot by shot.”
Marriotts Ridge’s steady approach only grew its lead over runner-up River Hill, and the Mustangs won the title with a two-day total of 628. The Hawks were second at 655. Oakdale (688) finished third.
Urbana (619) captured the 3A/4A team title, posting a four-player total of 313 on Wednesday that was the lowest of any of the schools in the finals. Northern (637) and Whitman (639) were second and third, respectively.
North Point’s Bailey Davis (73-74 — 147) captured the 3A/4A girls’ title, edging Churchill’s Kaylin Yeoh (73-76 — 149) and Northern’s Elizabeth Coffren (72-79 — 151).
River Hill’s Kevin Hickey (75-73 — 148) was the boys’ 1A/2A medalist, edging Fallston’s William Creery in a three-hole playoff. Northern’s Edward Coffren (70-78 — 148) won 3A/4A honors in a playoff over Westminster’s Aaron Sorkin. Quince Orchard’s Corey Minkoff (74-76 — 150) finished third.
Marriotts Ridge Coach Mark Dubbs said winning a state record seventh straight 1A/2A team title was “validation for how hard these kids work.”
“We’ve been in this position a lot,” Dubbs said, noting his strategy was to “continue how we did [Tuesday].” He wanted the Mustangs to stay positive and keep a short memory on bad holes.
Bad holes were a given in the difficult conditions. Mitigating the damage was key.
That proved true for McIlvain on the 10th hole, where the wind carried her drive into the rough on the par 4. Her approach found a green-side bunker. She would two-putt for bogey.
Jacob Ferrari (75-77 — 152) led Urbana. The Hawks channeled Coach Frank Ferrari’s advice to “win each day,” be patient and let the game come to them one shot at a time. Michael Snyder’s second-round 74 was an example.
Teammate Elliott Haas, competing in his third straight championship, admitted he was thinking ahead to the impending victory. “We knew we were going to win,” Haas said. “In the back of our mind, we always knew we were going to win. We didn’t say it, but we went undefeated this season and we’re a very deep and strong team.”
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