The good news, no Cape and Islands team will go winless come the end of the high school boys golf’s regular season.
Strugis East bested Rising Tide on Thursday to finally get into the win column. While coach Jim Barrasso isn’t interested in records, no team should go winless.
The bad news, the Storm are currently one of three teams whose season won’t continue beyond the Cape Cod School Boy Championship at Willowbend on Oct. 10.
The door slammed shut on Martha’s Vineyard after its loss to St. John Paul II to end the week. It’s not all doom and gloom as Jacoby Light—for a second straight year—and Macallan Moran will qualify for the Division 2 South Sectional as individual competitors.
Despite its fate being confirmed early on, Dennis-Yarmouth has continued to have fun out on course and competed each match.
For Bourne, Monomoy, Cape Cod Academy and Sandwich, there’s still work to be done but pressure is mounting.
Here’s the second to last in-season Cape and Islands high school boys golf power rankings.
*Records as of Friday, Oct 4.
1. Nauset (11-1, 1)
The Warriors saw their 26-match unbeaten run come to an end at the hands of St. John Paul II. While the Warriors will continue to be their biggest critics and admit they’re not playing to their potential, they still went 2-1 across a three match week. If the Warriors can get their top six to lock in and score, they are a team that can compete for a Division 2 state championship. A win over Sandwich in their final match of the regular season would all but confirm another outright divisional title.
2. St. John Paul II (12-2, 2)
The Lions rolled to a sixth straight win as they kept pace with Nauset in the race for a share of the Atlantic Division title. A Nauset win over Sandwich would leave the Lions one match adrift in that quest. Divisional title aside, the Lions are targeting a state championship for all their hard work across the last four years for this senior class. That goal is in sight with depth at their disposal.
3. Barnstable (9-6, NR)
Led by arguably the best high school boys golfer on the Cape and Islands and the team’s captain, Colin Gleason, the Red Hawks are marching back to another appearance at the Division 1 South Sectional as champions of the Pioneer Athletic Conference. With five straight wins under their belt, they’re also in a strong position to defend their team and individual titles at the Cape Cod School Boy Championship at Willowbend on Oct. 10.
4. Nantucket (9-4, 3)
The Whalers have dropped just one match in their last five outings. That came at the hands of Nauset, ending a run of four straight wins. David Foley continues to have a solid scoring season to lift the Whalers back into a place at the Division 3 South Sectional. Consistent depth across 18 holes will be coach Sam Herrick’s only concern as the season shifts to tournament mode beginning with the regional championship on Oct. 10. However, he will be bolstered by the mid-to-late season emergence of Ben Freeman.
5. Sturgis West (7-3, NR)
Coach Craig Glidden inherited a team full of young potential that has arrived early. He’s already giddy for next season but there’s still a lot of season left to go with the Navigators on the cusp of qualifying for the Division 3 South Sectional. Alex Saunders has put up numbers that would rival any number one on the Cape and Islands, while he’s been aided by string scoring from Valencia Ferretti and JP Ferretti.
Allen Gunn covers high school sports for the Cape Cod Times. You can contact him at agunn@gannett.com and follow him on X at @allentgunn.
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