It required extra effort, but Essex High School’s Dale Lee won this year’s New England Golf Championship at Bretwood Country Club in Keene, N.H.
Lee prevailed in a playoff against sophomore Eric Johnson of East Catholic High School in Manchester, Conn., when he made a 35-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole.
“I wasn’t trying to make it, I was just trying to get it close,” Lee told the Rutland Herald. “Luckily it went in.”
Lee and Johnson each shot a 2-under-par 70 to force the playoff. Hartford’s Joe Toland was one of five players who shot 72 and finished in a tie for third.
Brittany Wendell of Bourne (Mass.) High School shot a 4-under par 68 to win the girls championship by five strokes. Her round included six birdies and two bogeys. She said it was the first time she has finished below 70 during a competitive round in her career. Wendell will play college golf at Rutgers in the fall.
“Everything worked today,” she said.
Poultney’s Kristen Garabedian (77) and Rutland’s Keely Levins (78) each finished in the top 10. Garabedian finished in a three-way tie for seventh, and Levins was alone in 10th. The girls division featured 63 golfers.
Girls Lacrosse: Vermont rally falls short
Despite six goals from Woodstock’s Callie Bellimer, the Vermont all-stars couldn’t keep pace with New Hampshire and dropped a 23-14 decision Sunday in the Senior All-Star Lacrosse Classic held at Hanover (N.H.) High School.
Vermont scored four unanswered goals during a five-minute span in the second half to cut its deficit to 15-12, but New Hampshire scored the next six goals and led 21-12 with just over six minutes to play.
“It’s a little bit frustrating because just as they were getting their groove and figuring out who played what position and where their strengths were, we kind of ran out of time,” Vermont coach Jane O’Neil (Rutland) told the Burlington Free Press. “But I have to give it to New Hampshire; they are tough, they are fast, they are aggressive. They played a great game.”
New Hampshire’s Kayla Green (Londonderry High School) scored seven goals and added two assists to lead all scorers.
Vermont received three goals from Grace Amber (Chelsea), two from both Hannnah Wright (Rutland) and Mary Griffin (Woodstock), and one from Chloe Griffin (Mount Anthony). Rutland’s Jesse Wilson was in goal for Vermont.
Boys Lacrosse: New Hampshire edges Vermont
Woodstock’s Josh Robinson scored a team-high four goals – including one that pulled Vermont within a goal with 43 seconds to play- but New Hampshire held on to defeat Vermont, 15-14, in the boys half of the Senior All-Star Lacrosse Classic.
New Hampshire’s Sam Freihofer collected a game-high five goals, all of which came in the second half. Earlier this month Freihofer helped Hanover upset Bishop Guertin in New Hampshire’s Division I championship game.
Cooper Quenneville (Middlebury) and Spencer Hunt (Lamoille) each scored three goals for Vermont, which trailed 8-6 at the half. Hartford’s Taylor Kelton scored twice. Martin Vanzo (Essex) and Kyler Remillard (Mount Mansfield) also scored for Vermont.
Nolan Hayden (Lamoille), Andy Casey (Rice) and Ross Lengyel (Middlebury) split time in goal for Vermont.
“My hat’s off to Vermont, they played really well,” New Hampshire coach Roger Sampson said.
