Nauset Golf Advances to State Final, To Be Played Next Week Due To Rain

FOXBOROUGH – If there’s one preeminent throughline to the Massachusetts high school boys golf playoffs this year, it would be rain.

The postseason — a three-division competition of four sectionals and a state final played out across 15 different golf courses — has been totally shaped by the inclement weather that’s fallen on tournament days. 

Most recently, a storm on Monday postponed both the Division 2 and Division 3 state finals, which were set to be held at Foxborough Country Club and Blissful Meadows Golf Club in Uxbridge. All told, the date or start time for eight of the 15 total playoff events has so far been altered due to weather conditions.

At Foxborough under a torrential downpour, where the Nauset boys golf team was set to compete in their second state final in two years, a 10 a.m. start was quickly pushed to a 11-11:30 a.m. target. The delay continued until minutes before noon when tournament director Joel Jenkins announced to a clubhouse filled with players and coaches from 32 different schools that the final had been postponed. Precipitation continued to fall as the 100-plus student-athletes filtered out from the golf course back to their home districts. 

Later in the day, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association announced the D2 final had been rescheduled to Tuesday, Oct. 28 at Williamstown’s Taconic Golf Club in the far northwest reaches of the state. 

Regardless, to get this far, Nauset finished third in the Division 2 South sectional at LeBaron Hills Country Club in Lakeville on Tuesday, Oct. 14, a day of golf played through the final rattles of a nor’easter. After a delayed start, the Warriors shot a collective 327 (+39) to qualify for another state final a year after finishing fifth in the division championship. Like they’ll have to do next Tuesday, Nauset similarly ventured out west for last year’s final, which was held in Pittsfield.

In Lakeville, Max St. Aubin shot a 5-over 77 and Oliver Smith a 6-over 78 to blaze Nauset’s trail to state finals qualification. Those were the second- and third-lowest individual scores of the day (three other players shot 3-over 75). Matthew Breda shot a 10-over 82 and Logan Miller shot a 18-over 90 to round out Nauset’s score. Zach Weiner and Jake Eldredge also recorded a 19-over 91 and a 27-over 99 respectively.

For the Warriors, who won a Cape and Islands League title in the regular season, the postseason has been the big prize since the start.

“It really comes down to playoffs, and how you play in playoffs, so hopefully we can string together some good rounds come to the end of the season,” Eldredge said in September.

Nauset finished 13-1 heading into postseason play and had, at one point this year, won 26 straight matches dating back to 2024. That streak ended with a defeat to Saint John Paul II on Sept. 30. The prospect of a potential loss, however, didn’t phase the Warriors at all even as they continued to build their undefeated run.

“If we lose a couple matches, it's whatever,” St. Aubin said in September. “It's really about what we do in the postseason.”

Also at the Division 2 South sectional in Lakeville, Cape Cod Tech shot 371 (+83) to finish 10th overall. Chris Morin recorded a 10-over 82, Carter LaFrance a 19-over 91, Brayden Wright a 22-over 94 and Matt Swartz a 32-over 104. Ethan Woodward also shot a 35-over 107 and Mike Shea a 40-over 112. 

Just like it affected nearly every other sectional held that day, poor weather impacted the Division 3 South sectional held Tuesday, Oct. 14 at Foxborough Country Club, where Monomoy just missed advancing to the state final by a few strokes. The tournament was delayed, and the format switched from a shotgun start to tee times due to rain.

The Sharks shot 348 (+60) to finish tied for fourth, five strokes behind third place. Cam Reeves scored an 11-over 83, Hank Brown a 12-over 84, Joey Ventura an 18-over 90 and Tom Chase a 19-over 91. Luke Raftery also shot a 24-over 96 and Michael Webster a 25-over 97.