WINCHESTER — The St. Mary’s golf team took to the course Wednesday for the first Spartans athletic contest in 203 days, and the drama started right away.
In a back-and-forth matchup that came down to the eighth player on the roster, St. Mary’s came up just short in a 173-167 loss to Catholic Central League foe Arlington Catholic at Winchester Country Club. Normally, the top seven scores from each team are counted towards the team’s total. But since there was a tie after adding up all seven scores on each side, the match came down to the eighth player on each roster.
“It was great to get back out there and compete, and what a competitive match it was,” said St. Mary’s coach Jay Fiste. “It was great for the younger guys on the team to go out and get their feet wet and learn about how to play in this points-based format. We might’ve come up a little short, but there are a lot of positives to take from this.”
St. Mary’s was led by junior star Aidan Emmerich, who finished the day with 34 points. Luke Smith was right behind with 33 points, while Andrew Luciano put up 23 points. Sean Mathers and Eric Bridges had 19 points each, while Peter Pagliuca finished the day with 17 points.
“We played well out there for the most part and it was great that we were neck-and-neck the whole way,” said Fiste. “We’re a little top-heavy in our rotation right now, but the younger guys will come around as the season progresses.”
For Fiste, who is now in his 11th season with St. Mary’s, the key for his younger players is getting them to focus on every shot and every point. It’s thin margins like those that will help the Spartans in their quest for another CCL title this fall.
“Even though matches might not always come down to a point or two, sometimes they do and those points matter,” said Fiste, who has won three consecutive state titles with the Spartans. “The key for the younger guys on the team is just figuring out that every shot matters, and you don’t want to go out there and do anything that could jeopardize more than a point or two.”
The Spartans don’t have to wait long to get back on the course — or to play Arlington Catholic again. The two teams will meet in a rematch on Thursday afternoon (3) at Tedesco Country Club.
“It’ll be great to get back out there right away and try to make up for the loss,” said Fiste. “That’s how golf is — sometimes the breaks go your way and sometimes they don’t. We put ourselves in a great position to win (Wednesday) and if we can go back out there and play similarly (Thursday), I think we’ll be in good shape to pick up a win.”