BERLIN- The Bayside South varsity golf championship went right down to the wire last week with Bennett emerging as champion after edging runner-up Decatur in the final two meets of the season.
The two teams battled neck and neck all season, with each beating the other seemingly in alternating matches to briefly take the top spot. Last Tuesday, Decatur beat Bennett at Great Hope to pull even with just two matches remaining, starting with a match at Green Hill last Wednesday.
At Green Hill, Bennett finished first with a 174, led by Ayden Whitehead’s 42. Decatur finished a close second, led by Matt Kinsey, who finished in 41. Parkside was third with a 186 as Jakob Keidel finished with a 40 and was the medalist for the match. The Bennett win put the Clippers ahead of Decatur in the Bayside South standings by a mere point with one match to go on Thursday at Nutter’s Crossing.
At Nutter’s last Thursday, Bennett shot a team-low 157, led by Whitehead and Adam Workman, who each shot 38. Decatur was second with a 163, led by Matt Kristick’s 39. Parkside was third with a 172, led by Keidel’s 36, which earned him medalist honors on the day.
In the end, it was Bennett taking to title with 14 points, while Decatur finished second with 16 points. In the point system, a win is rewarded with one point, a second-place finish is awarded two points, etc. With the Bayside South title in hand, Bennett earned the right to face Bayside North champ Kent Island at Queenstown this week for the Bayside Conference championship.
In terms of individual honors, Bennett’s Whitehead finished first in the standings with a 38.5 average. Kristick was second with 39.5 average, while Keidel was third with a 39.9 average. Kinsey was fourth at 40.2, while Workman was fifth at 42.