Athletes from Key Largo to Key West met up at Ocean Reef on Aug. 26 to play nine holes in the season’s first round of golf. In girls action, Key West’s Claudia Steling got off to a great start with a birdie on hole one, and the senior standout never looked back. Steling finished with a 41, a dozen shots ahead of teammate Lexi Finigan.
Mary Alice Davila finished third to make it a Conch sweep for the top three spots. Marathon’s Makenna Haines was fourth, with Coral Shores’ Valerie Gabriel and Justice Lee of Marathon finishing in the fifth and sixth spots.
For the boys, it was Marathon’s Roco Piscetello in first with a birdie on hole four and a score of 42 for the afternoon. Key West’s Geo Twyman was next, shooting a 45 with a birdie on hole six. Teammate Mason Titensor was one shot behind Twyman with a birdie of his own on hole nine. Coral Shores’ Scout Oliver shot a 47 for fourth place and the Conchs’ Ty Hill was fifth.
The next four places were earned by Dolphins Luca Picariello, David Rodriguez Jr., Emmett Merryman and Cullen Coleman-Sayer. Brock Bynum of Coral Shores and Jackson Millard of Marathon tied at the No. 10 spot to round out the top finishers in the early-season match.
Though the ladies did not score as teams due to a limited number of participants, all three schools had complete boys teams. Key West took first place by a single stroke, edging out Marathon with a 198 team score. Coral Shores finished third. The teams met up again Sept. 3 for another nine holes at the prestigious Ocean Reef Course (results not available at press time) and will average two matches per week until districts in late October.
