Fort Fairfield and Limestone-MSSM golf teams prepare for league tourney

11 years ago

By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
    Local high school golf teams will battle it out Friday at Mars Hill Country Club for Aroostook League bragging rights and the opportunity to compete at the state championships next month at Natanis Golf Club in Vassalboro.

 

SP-golfJMS-dcx6-ar-35Contributed photo/jMavor Photography
    Meghan Flanagin of the Eagles is one of the top schoolgirl golfers in the state.
    Each of the teams competing will select five players and the top four scores are totaled and used to determine the winner.         The top two teams will advance to the state team championship and the top 10 male players who shoot a 90 or better will qualify for the state individual tourney.
    Girls who shoot 110 or less will also qualify.
    The 18-hole event gets under way at 9 a.m.
    Participating from the region will be Fort Fairfieldand Limestone-MSSM. Other teams to play in the event are Ashland, Central Aroostook and Hodgdon.
    Profiles of the Tiger and Eagle squads follow:
Fort Fairfield Tigers
    The Tigers are the four-time league champions and are the favorites to win a fifth this year. They are undefeated in regular season play thus far and are led by junior Robbie Watson, a five handicap, and senior Noah Bernard, who carries an eight handicap.
    “Both have been playing well so far this summer and both work hard at their games,” said seventh-year coach Larry Gardner.
    The two qualified for the individual state championships last year and are hoping for a return trip.
    Freshman Jon Bernard is Fort’s No. 3 player, while junior Vince Campbell, sophomore Larry Warner, senior Jordann Coiley and junior Shyla Bouchard round out the squad. Coiley also qualified for last year’s individual tourney.
    “For us to qualify, Robbie and Noah will have to shoot their normal scores and our third, fourth and fifth players will have to shoot 100 or better for us to have a chance to compete with [the other favorites] Central Aroostook and Hodgdon.”
Limestone-MSSM Eagles
    The Eagles of coach Tom Albert have won only a couple regular season matches, but boast one of the top schoolgirl players in the state in senior Meghan Flanagin. A student at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics, Flanagin is hoping to attend Northwestern University next fall and play on the school’s golf team.
    “She’s a coach’s dream. She listens and takes advice well, she never seems to let things on the golf course bother her because when she hits a bad shot, she just moves onto the next hole with a smile on her face,” Albert said.
    Flanagin is averaging around 40 strokes per nine holes and should be a shoe-in to make her third appearance at the state individual championship. As a sophomore, she placed second in the state and last year came in fifth.
    “I’m thinking this could be her year,” Albert said. “She hits the ball farther off the tee and her short game is better than it was a year ago.”
    Other Eagle team members are seniors Tyler Morgan, who Albert feels is capable of shooting a 90 or better, and Tristan Kirk, along with juniors Kareena Woodworth and Nic Chouinard.