Their first competition of the season was a championship performance for the Washington-Liberty Generals.
The high-school golfers won the three-team Arlington County match with a nine-hole 148 team score the afternoon of Aug. 14 on the Hains Point Golf Course at East Potomac Park in D.C.
The Generals had never previously won the county match.
“It was awesome and exciting to win that,” said W-L junior golfer Finn Watson, who shot a 2-under-par 34 to card W-L’s and the match’s lowest score. “We had kind of a confidence we had a chance to win because we had been playing well and playing together a lot lately.”
Watson made his two birdies on the blue course on the seventh and ninth holes.
The other three individual totals that counted in the team scoring for the Generals were a 37 by sophomore Emmett Spence, a 38 from sophomore Colin Hanley and a 39 from senior James Hall.
Also for W-L, senior Malia Perry shot 43 and senior Quinn Breed 46.
The Generals celebrated the victory with a dinner at IHOP.
Washington-Liberty finished second in last year’s county match on the same course with a 159 score. Finn also shot 34 in that event.
“They were around where they had hoped to be,” Washington-Liberty coach Michael Wilkis said about the team score. “Our players have come together and improved well. We thought we could pull off the win.”
The Yorktown Patriots were the defending champions and had won 35 of the last 37 county crowns and 31 in a row until the Wakefield Warriors won in 2018. Wakefield also won again in 2021.
Yorktown was second this season with a 156 total, led by 37s from Nick Senkus and Ryan Pericak, 41s from Maddie Cameron and Jack Freeman, a 42 from Austin Barbieri and a 43 by Luke Sanne.
Wakefield was third this season with a 158 score, as Philip Verghese and Tully Andress each shot 38. Also for Wakefield, Miles Maravilla shot 39, Beckett Hampton 43, Ryan Baird 45 and Andrew Middleton 48.
“Wakefield had four scores in the thirties – that’s something else,” Wakefield coach Dave Knoor said about Washington-Liberty.
“It’s kind of surprising they won, but we didn’t count them out. Finn played well and the others really came through.”
Wakefield and Yorktown had each played in previous tournaments this season prior to the county match.
Bishop O’Connell is the fourth high school in Arlington. The private school team does not participate in the county match because its golf season is held during the spring.
