Keys golfers participated in nine holes of competition in Key West on Oct. 5 in one of their final opportunities to sharpen their skills prior to district play. On the ladies’ end, Claudia Steling registered the lowest score of the day, shooting a 48. Her consistency has been notable for the Conchs, giving her a solid opportunity to advance through the postseason.
Marathon’s Summer Haines shot a 50, placing second at the match. “Summer has been consistently scoring low 50s and this is encouraging heading into district play, since she will be competing for an individual spot for a regional berth,” said coach Mary Coleman-Sayer. Haines will likely be Marathon’s solo female golfer to tee off in the postseason.
For Coral Shores, top female golfer Gabby Thomas shot a 53, placing her third. Thomas will be the ’Canes’ best shot at sending an athlete to the next round. Thomas, Haines and Steling have consistently traded the top three places against one another throughout this season.
Key West’s Peyton Zubieta won first overall for the gentlemen, shooting a 42. Teammate Jackson Barroso was one shot behind in second place. Dolphins Dylan Ziels and Roco Piscetello tied the Conchs’ Ty Hill for third place in the match with 44 strokes each. Michael Merryman of Marathon and Preston Carroll of Coral Shores both shot a 46, tying for sixth place. Tanel Irons of Coral Shores came in eighth with a 50, with Marathon’s Mason Thornton one stroke behind him in ninth place. Aiden Richard of Marathon and Ryan Kight of Key West tied for 10th place, scoring 55.
In preparation for districts, Coral Shores coach Danielle Thomas says her team “has been working really hard on their short game, and it shows with their scores.
“Definitely keep an eye out for Preston Carroll. He has been consistent with his shots and score,” she said. She also has high hopes for Irons and Brock Bynum. Irons has been a staple for the ’Canes for the past two seasons and Bynum, a relatively new golfer, has shown tremendous improvement this season.
Marathon is peaking right on time, according to Coleman-Sayer. Merryman, Thornton, Piscetello, Ziels and Leo Mendez “have (all) netted scores in the 40s recently, which is exciting and a first for our program,” she said. “As our season is coming to an end, there has been so much improvement, and I am so appreciative of the hard work that these athletes are putting in.”
Conchs head coach Josh Bassett was disappointed in the weather at the Maverick Invitational on Oct. 12 but certainly cannot be disappointed in his team’s play.
“I was really hoping to use the Maverick Invitational as a litmus test for the boys to see how they would do against some of our district teams, but the weather was not in our favor up there,” he said. Bassett has full boys and girls teams for districts, and the play of his athletes has been steady all season long. The only inconsistency is who is on top each match.
“I couldn’t tell you to look at just one player – they have all had some pretty awesome moments this year,” he said. “We are a team, we are in this together, and we will win or lose as a team.”
Zubieta, Barroso, Hill, Kight and Smith Switzer have all had tremendous matches this season, and if the regular season is any indicator, the Conchs look good to move on to regionals. District matches are set for Oct. 23, with regionals occurring the following week for qualifying golfers.
