For the first time in their respective histories, Coral Shores and Marathon are sending golfers to the FHSAA 1A Region 4 Championships.
After playing 18 holes at Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne on Oct. 28, three Keys golfers landed in the top five overall. Coral Shores freshman Scout Oliver tied for third place. Oliver shot an 81 for the day and moved up a notch after a birdie on hole 18. Marathon’s Emmett Merryman and Roco Piscetello both shot 83, tying for fifth place. Merryman moved up the ranks with consistency while Piscetello had a pair of birdies on holes 12 and 14 to boost his score.
In Florida high school golf, the top two teams advance their athletes to the next round, then the remaining golfers are placed in a pool. The top two scores from the pool receive an individual bid to the next round. The only golfers ahead of Oliver were on the rosters of the first-place and runner-up teams, giving him the nod. In Merryman and Piscetello’s case, only one could advance, leaving it up to a tiebreaker.
The district tiebreaker in effect last week first tabulated the back nine holes to determine a winner. After that, Merryman and Piscetello were still deadlocked, as both golfers scored 40. The second level of the tiebreaker counted the scores from hole 13 to 18, where Merryman had a two-stroke advantage over Piscetello to secure the final at-large spot.
Neither program has ever sent a golfer past districts, making the event a milestone for both the Hurricanes and Dolphins. And though it was bittersweet for Piscetello, the sophomore has incredible potential, and with continued improvement, has a fantastic chance to punch his own card next season.
Oliver, Merryman and Piscetello were not the only notable performances last week. Dolphin senior Max Childress shot a 91 to take his place in the top 20. Childress finished 16th after 18 holes to end his prep golf career on a high note. Makenna Haines and Justice Lee Isom also landed in the top 20 in the girls competition. The Dolphin duo were 18th and 20th, respectively.
Key West sent their teams to the 2A district competitions on Oct. 27 and 28. The girls teed off first at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Coral Springs, where senior Claudia Steling finished in 10th place. Her performance was just seven strokes shy of an at-large spot at regionals. The senior leader scored 94 on the afternoon with a birdie on hole three.
The boys teed off the following morning at Redland Golf and Country Club in Homestead. Geo Twyman had the best scorecard for the Conchs. The junior turned in a 79, finishing at plus-7 on the day for ninth place. Twyman missed regionals by four strokes, but his performance was highlighted with a pair of birdies on holes five and seven. Jaub Krytinar had a pair of birdies of his own to help land him in the top 20. Krytinar’s 81 was good for 13th place.
Districts marked the end of the season for the Conchs and Monroe County’s girls’ teams. Oliver and Merryman will play at least one more round, with a chance at the big show. Regionals for the pair are at the Park West Palm Nov. 3 (results not available at press time). Should one of them have a stellar round and qualify for states, they play Nov. 14 and 15 at Howey-in-the-Hills Mission Resort + Club.
