Monomoy, Nauset Girls Compete At League’s Individual Golf Championship
By: Brad Joyal
Topics: Monomoy Regional High School , Golf , Cranberry Valley Golf Course , Nauset Regional High School
From left, Monomoy coach John Anderson and golfers Yu Ying Zou, Ava Packett, Orla Delaney, Sally Watson and Ashley Anderson pose for a photo at the end of Monday’s Cape and Islands League individual championship. BRAD JOYAL PHOTO
HARWICH – A who’s who of many of Cape Cod’s top girls high school golfers met Monday at Cranberry Valley Golf Course to take part in the Cape and Islands League’s individual championship, which served as a final tune-up before the South sectionals tournament is held Tuesday at Marshfield Country Club.
Among those in attendance were a group of five Monomoy girls and three more from Nauset, which held off the Sharks to win the regular season title in a tiebreaker.
Sturgis West star Mya Murphy claimed Monday’s individual title after carding a 6-over-par 78, outlasting runner-up Bella Scoletti (82) of Cape Cod Academy and Nauset sophomore Sophie Sullivan (84).
“It was pretty much how I would’ve expected it to go,” Monomoy coach John Anderson said. “Mya is an incredible talent and Scoletti from CCA is very talented as well.”
Nauset senior captain Kerry Farrell shot a 94 to finish ninth, while Monomoy junior Ava Packett posted a 96 to pace the Sharks and round out the top 10. Another Nauset senior, Amelia Stevens, finished 11th with a mark of 99, followed by Monomoy junior Yu Ying Zou (105).
Sally Watson (111) and Orla Delaney (119) also competed for Monomoy, which was supported by teammate Ashley Anderson.
This year’s tournament moved to Cranberry Valley after being previously held at Kings Way Golf Club in Yarmouth Port. Anderson said Cranberry Valley would be a good final test for the girls who will advance to compete at sectionals.
“Kings Way was amazing, but it’s an executive-style course,” Anderson said. “Cranberry Valley is really the nicest public course on the Cape. It’s in incredible condition and it’s really challenging. It will get all of the teams from the Cape more prepared for the sectional in Marshfield next Tuesday.”
The change was well received by the participants.
“This is a really nice way to wrap up my senior year with a winning record and then obviously coming here and playing well,” said Farrell, an Eastham resident.
Sullivan and Stevens noted Monday was an awesome experience before the team will compete in its first sectionals tournament in recent years.
“It’s the first time in eight years, so that’s pretty exciting,” said Sullivan, a Brewster resident, as she looked ahead to sectionals.
For sectionals-bound Monomoy, it was a season of triumph and adversity. The team played its season without star Jennie Grogan, a senior who decided not to play her senior season after being among the Cape’s best throughout her high school career.
“It’s definitely been a really big struggle without Jennie,” said Watson, a Harwich resident. “She obviously was a vital member of our team, so I’m pretty proud of our team because we went 10-3, which was pretty impressive without her, and we lost a lot of seniors as well.”
Packett said this year’s Monomoy team benefited from the addition of a group of younger girls who came in and performed well, as well as a dedicated approach that carried over from offseason training.
“A lot of girls over the winter worked hard and tried to improve their game as much as they could,” said Packett, a Harwich resident. “It’s shown throughout our season.”
Although the Sharks know they will have their work cut out for them at sectionals, the team is eager to give its best and close out the season on a strong note.
“We’re really hopeful this year because of our successes from last year, but we’re going to go into it with reasonable expectations,” said Zou, a Harwich resident. “We’re going to try our best, that’s the best we can do.”