Cape Tech Wins First-Ever Golf Title At State Vocational Championship

Connor Fullam can remember his freshman year with the Cape Cod Tech boys golf team.

It was a rough season with little success. They were very young. And if Fullam, now a senior, had been told then that a short while later, the Crusaders would hoist a trophy of their own, he probably wouldn’t have believed it.

But that’s exactly what happened. Cape Tech on Oct. 7 won the state vocational small tournament championship at Heritage Country Club in Charlton, capturing the school’s first-ever golf title.

“I never saw that coming,” Fullam said.

Junior Chris Morin shot a 75 to finish as the tourney’s leader. One behind him was sophomore Carter LaFrance, who shot a 76. Freshman Daniel Gibbons shot an 80 and junior Mike Shea an 84 to round the score. Sophomore Tucker Enos shot an 89. 

At 315, the Crusaders closed out ahead of Franklin Tech at 318 and Minuteman at 319.

“It's great to represent the school and get that win,” Morin said. “First time in school history is crazy.”

The program-defining state vocational win is the centerpiece to a flourishing season overall for the Crusaders, who went 10-1-1 in head-to-head play (They were also set to play in the Division 2 South sectional tournament at Segregansett Country Club in Taunton after The Chronicle’s deadline).

It was a long bus trip to Central Massachusetts for the Crusaders to get to the site of the vocational competition. Perhaps only McCann Tech in North Adams could have claimed a drive of similar length in time and distance.

They arrived early as one of the first teams to reach the course, allowing ample time to shake the cobwebs off at the range.

Head coach Kevin Furey chanced to see Morin early in his round. Morin was struggling at the start on the tough track at Heritage Country Club. 

Still, he told Furey he felt good that day and wasn’t worried. By the time Furey next saw him, Morin had righted the ship.

“He just had that confidence that he'd settle into himself, he'd find his rhythm, he'd get those pars and birdies when they came along, and that's just his mindset,” Furey said. “A bad hole doesn't define the round, and he'll find ways to battle back. 

“And that's kind of how he's been with not just the match play here, but just with his teammates, too, and just picking them up and making sure that you might be down a hole or down a shot, but you're not out of it and you can keep battling. And he's got the game clearly to turn things around in a hurry, and he did.”

The day in Charlton wasn’t an easy, straightforward one. The morning began windy, though it calmed and warmed later. The course’s dimensions were tight, the greens difficult, the pin placements precarious. 

There were hills and blind shots and doglegs and hazards. But the Crusaders, as deep a group of golfers as Cape Tech has ever seen, pulled through.

“Me personally, I didn't know much about any other teams, so I just went in there and played my game, did the best I could,” Gibbons said.

Said LaFrance: “We had lots of confidence. We knew what we could have done, and we did it.”

The Cape Tech golfers learned about 45 minutes after all had finished their rounds that they clinched the win. Morin took the individual leader honors via a card-off, and the Crusaders were state vocational champions. They were resilient and patient, Furey said.

“It’s so exciting, and to be a part of it and along for their ride as the coach, that's pretty special for me,” Furey said. “It's always cool to get the first of something at a school, and hopefully that sets the trend. If nothing else, I hope it really just puts us on the map.”

As only a player who’s been there for the long haul like Fullam could know, the state title coming back to Harwich was years in the making. The Crusaders have benefited from an influx of talent, each incoming class possessing strong players to build the team’s foundation.

Those players also train hard, practicing in the offseason, working in the winter, playing golf over the summer — like Enos, who had a breakout year after hitting the course frequently in advance of the season. 

Enos was on junior varsity last year, and that Cape Tech even has a JV golf team is new for the program — and testament to their depth.

Also serving a role in the Crusader’s success is the cohesion of the group. Furey has noticed the team chemistry. The approximately 22-strong program spans grade levels, and all root for each other. They help out each other’s games.

“It's just been a really good team,” Fullam said. “It's not just full of great golfers who don’t get along. It's just a lot of great kids who get along, and it's been a great season.”

Now they have a piece of championship hardware to point to, confirming all that they already knew about each other and their golf abilities heading into the state vocational tournament.

“It's just kind of exciting to see and think about what the future is going to look like for this team,” Fullam said.