Marauders PARtake First in the City Championship

The Maclay Varsity Boys Golf Team Finnish First in the City Championship

Photo by Steven Shircliff on Unsplash

On Oct. 2 the Maclay boys varsity golf team headed to the Hilaman golf course on the other side of town in Tallahassee. They faced the Chiles Timberwolves, Florida High Seminoles, Lincoln Trojans, Leon Lions, Community Christian School Chargers, Rickard Raiders and the Godby Cougars. The Marauders won the overall match with a team score of 299 (+11) while Chiles sophomore Alex Parker won the city championship individually in a playoff against Seminole senior Payton “PJ” Cowhey.

The City Championship is hosted by Leon High School every year and is a crucial major[big match/tournament]  for all schools in the Tallahassee area. A big win at cities will boost the winners into the possibility of a win at the district tournament on Oct. 24.

The course is ranked as one of the tougher courses in the city area and plays as a Par 72. Maclay had been practicing at the course all week trying to get a feel for the greens and the places they wanted to put themselves for their upcoming match and it seemed to work. Two Murders, sophomore Jack Cook and senior Alejandro Ortiz were able to finish at two over par or a 74 along with senior Zach Lowe who finished at three over par or a 75. These scores followed by sophomore Hayden Chaires’s 76 (+4) placed Maclay ahead of all other competing schools and handed Chiles their first loss of the season.

“I played not my best, but the team managed to have my back,” Cook said. “All the boys played well, causing us to come out with a victory.”

Not only is the City Championship a great place to showcase team scores, it's also a great way to show the individual scores and placements as well. Cook and Ortiz finished T4, Lowe placed in fifth, Chaires came in at sixth and senior Jacob Parrish was able to come in at 10th. All of these placemats were out of 73 athletes who competed at the City Championship.

Varsity boys head Maclay golf coach Joe Kupiszewski took the top four scores for the players of this city championship which were Cook, Ortiz, Lowe and Chaires. Their four scores added up to a total of 299 strokes, giving the Marauders a one stroke lead over Chiles, breaking Chiles 12 year winning streak in the city championship. The Marauder’s score of 299 marks the best score that Maclay has put on the scoreboard in an 18-hole match in over two years.

“I know for me it was one bad shot that made me just really mess up on one hole,” Ortiz said. “I know that if I did better off the tee on one that probably could have been shot even or under par and we could have won by three or four after that.”

All of the Marauders ranged in the 70s and did not go too much over par with the highest score being a 79 (+7) coming from Parrish. This win over the Timberwolves and Seminoles boosts Maclay to the 60 spot in overall rankings in the state.

Lowe sealed the win with a birdie on the last hole followed by Chaires who came out with a par to secure the win over the others. The Marauders have had nine matches this season with three more regular season matches scheduled and are currently sitting at a 4-5 record giving themselves the number two ranking in their district.

“I thought they did well,” Kupiszewski said. “It was kind of neat. I think that might have been the first time since I have been the coach since we have had all players break 80. For some people, it is common for most mortal golfers that’s a pretty good score so I was just really happy with the overall team consistency.”