By HockomockSports.com Staff
Mother Nature made them wait, but not even a weeklong delay could cool off Canton’s hot streak. The Bulldogs picked up right where they left off, closing out their terrific season with an exclamation point — the program’s first-ever state championship.
Originally scheduled for last Tuesday in Foxboro, the tournament was pushed back a week due to weather, forcing Canton to wait before taking the links at Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown. After winning its last nine matches and capturing the Division 2 North sectional title less than two weeks ago, the Bulldogs stayed hot and posted a team score of 324 — three strokes ahead of Masconomet and Nauset — to claim the MIAA Division 2 state crown.
“They’ve worked incredibly hard, not just this season but throughout their entire golf careers and I’m just so proud of them,” said Canton head coach Mike Barucci. “Whether they’re seniors or freshmen, they’ve put in so much effort, and this is what they wanted. They went out and did it.
“The season didn’t start great, but they went on a run, won sectionals, hit a little speed bump at Hocks, and then came into this determined to finish it off. This was their goal from the start, especially for the seniors, and they got it done.”
Chase Thomas delivered all season long for the Bulldogs and came through once again on Tuesday, firing a team-low round of 76 (+5) to tie for eighth overall. Mason Wachtendonk, fresh off a second place finish at sectionals, finished with a 79 (+8) to help lead the way again. Teddy Shuman carded an 84 and Harrison Weitz shot an 85 to round out the scoring for the Bulldogs.
“Chase Thomas was our top performer with a 76, which is incredible for a kid in his first year being thrown into a situation like that,” Barucci said. “Mason shot a 79, Teddy had an 84, and Harrison an 85 — that depth was huge for us. Having a deep team is everything in tournaments like this. Anyone can step up and have the best round on any given day, and that’s exactly what happened today.”
Joey Ryan, who finished fourth in average in the Hockomock League during the regular season and was fifth at sectionals, shot a 92 and Cam Washburn, who was 12th in average in the Hock, added a 96.
“Joey Ryan has had an unbelievable career — he’s broken so many individual records — but he just didn’t have his best day,” Barucci said. “Usually, when your number one doesn’t play well, it’s tough to win. But that’s what makes this team special. Someone always steps up. That’s how we were able to do it.”
After starting the regular season 2-3, Canton closed the year with nine in a row to finish at 11-3 with the Division 2 North title and the Division 2 state championship.
“It was back and forth all day, one minute we were in first, then third, then second – it was that close,” Barucci said. “I don’t even know if they realized how tight it was, but I think they did. They just dialed in and got the job done when it mattered.
“I would never count this team out. They can do some special things on the golf course. Today was unfamiliar territory, a lot of distractions, not your typical round of golf, but they still found a way to win. They worked so hard for this, and they absolutely deserve it.”
Zac Georgantas, who won the tournament last year, had the best individual showing out of the golfers from the Hockomock League. He started on the fifth hole and had nine pars on his first 10 holes, and then carded birdies on the 15th and 1st holes. He finished the round at one-over 73, just one stroke off first place. Teammate Ryan McGuire tied for 56th in the tournament as the junior carded five pars on the day.