It is the headliner, thus far, for six classmates determined to make their final season count.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been waiting for three years. It\u2019s their time to shine, to not be intimidated,\u201d said Stoddard. <\/p>\n
Those seniors have been playing together since their freshman or sophomore year. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really nice because we all know each other so well, which is definitely really an advantage for us,\u201d senior Matt Murray said. <\/p>\n
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Not to be outdone, Murray recorded a 4-under-par 32 in the Westwood match, nearly breaking the school nine-hole record of 31. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a nice culmination of all the years of hard work, tournaments, and practice,\u201d Murray said. \u201cIt was a good score to take for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stoddard has taken note of the confidence everyone has gained from each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cA guy can have an off day and somebody else will step up to it,\u201d Stoddard said. <\/p>\n
Stoddard can always rely on senior captain Jack Fisher. Through nine matches, Fisher carries a 36.0 scoring average and was the medalist against Bishop Stang on Aug. 28<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen you see who you\u2019re paired with playing badly, it makes you feel like you have to be better,\u201d Fisher said. \u201cEveryone\u2019s had their days where they\u2019ve gone low and everyone\u2019s been consistent so far.\u201d <\/p>\n Fisher\u2019s duties as a captain go beyond putting in consistent performances. <\/p>\n \u201cI have to keep the vibes up, keep the positivity going,\u201d he said. \u201cOne bad round doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re going to lose the whole day.\u201d <\/p>\n These leadership qualities impact fellow captain Kyle Leahy, as well as the younger members of the team. <\/p>\n \u201cThe leadership makes a significant difference and it\u2019s really motivating to play alongside them as we try to keep our momentum going,\u201d Leahy said.<\/p>\n As the seniors eyed their final run, they also looked at the future. In the summer, Fisher, Leahy, and senior captain Keegan Artz organized workouts to get younger players varsity reps. <\/p>\n \u201cHaving them come out, practice with us and adjust to the varsity level is really going to help the team out in the future,\u201d Fisher said. <\/p>\n Stoddard points to sophomore Jack Sutliffe, who averages 38 and maintains his calm in difficult matches. <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re all really good and really talented and our best advice to them would just be to keep up the tournament play and keep just maximizing those pressurized situations,\u201d Murray said.<\/p>\n Last fall, Duxbury finished third in the Division 2 South sectional<\/a>, then tied Norton for sixth in the state final.<\/p>\n The Dragons are determined to make another run.<\/p>\n The team has a difficult schedule to close out the regular season. On Sept. 25, the Dragons take on Scituate, which sits in first place in the Fisher division of the Patriot League.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to tell each other that we\u2019ve all put the hard work in and it\u2019s going to pay off,\u201d Murray said. \u201cWe have to make sure we\u2019re playing our best until the last two tournaments.\u201d<\/p>\n \u25aa Paced by Mackinley Garcia and Gavin Walsh, Bishop Feehan sits atop a strong Catholic Central at 4-1, with a 2-0 mark in league play.<\/p>\n Garcia, a senior, has 100 points during the Shamrocks\u2019 three-match win streak. Walsh has 76 over the past two matches, including a 3-under-par 33 for 42 points against Archbishop Williams at Heather Hill on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been awesome,\u201d said second-year coach Jared Tise. \u201cI have nine seniors on my team, but a couple of freshmen that have played. They have those leadership guys I can put them with to get through it and feel comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n The Shamrocks\u2019 lone loss was a 237-219 stroke-play defeat against reigning Division 1 champion St. John\u2019s Shrewsbury<\/a>, with the second leg of a home-and-home at the end of the month, as well as a date with BC High this week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe tried to get more competitive [this season],\u201d Tise said. \u201cIt\u2019s not only playing the better teams, but it\u2019s gauging what we need to do in order to advance in the state tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n \u25aa Newburyport has started off 4-0, with all but one of its wins decided by double-digit points in Stableford format. The Clippers sit comfortably atop the Cape Ann League at 3-0 in league play.<\/p>\n The junior class has been leading the way, with Braeden Aussant, Gavin Goich, and Jack Oreal each pacing the team in at least one match.<\/p>\n Goich, who placed third in Division 2, has finished as the leading scorer or runner-up in three out of four matches. Oreal led the team in scoring twice.<\/p>\n After a third-place finish at the Division 2 North sectional<\/a>, but a disappointing 10th at the state meet, this year\u2019s team has plans to make some noise in October.<\/p>\n