Unionville fires 3-under-par team score to edge Rustin
By Neil Geoghegan
ngeoghegan@21st-centurymedia.com
@NeilMGeoghegan on Twitter
EAST MARLBOROUGH >> Just 24 hours after having its four-year-plus unbeaten regular season win-streak snapped, the Unionville boys’ golf team was obviously ready to show that its dominance in the Ches-Mont is still in place.
The Longhorns fired an ultra-impressive 178 on Wednesday at Kennett Square Golf & Country Club to slip past league contender West Chester Rustin (183) by five-stokes, and Oxford (222) by 44. All five of the top scorers for both Unionville and the visiting Golden Knights were in the 30s in the nine-hole tri-meet, and the ’Horns total was an astounding 3-over-par as a team.
“My first season as coach, our first match was one of the best scores we’ve ever played – and it was 178,” Unionville head coach Jimmy O’Rourke said. “So I had to have a conversation afterwards with our guys to let them know that a 178 is quite an accomplishment.”
As impressive as junior Win Thomas’ 2-under 33 was, the biggest story was the Longhorns’ depth. Senior Alex Moore and junior Rex Opdahl each carded even-par 35s, with Johan Tuerff (37) and Danny Donnelly (38) also contributing.
“A 178 is solid — everybody played good,” Thomas said.
“We have eight guys that could hand in scores under 40, but it doesn’t always happen,” O’Rourke added. “Today it was everybody playing to their personal ability, and if that happens, we will be pretty hard to beat.”
Rustin head coach Joe Paris could hardly quibble with his team’s performance, even though it wasn’t quite enough. Senior Ryan D’Ariano shared individual medalist honors with a 33, senior Trevor Talerico added a 35 and freshman Sam Feeney chipped in with a 38.
“We circle Unionville,” Paris said. “We want to beat them and I think we played extremely well. They just played better.”
Thomas and D’Ariano each notched four birdies on the day. Thomas nearly drove the 334-yard opening hole, had a two-putt birdie at the par-five ninth, and made short birdie putts at Nos. four and seven.
“A 33 is good enough for me,” Thomas said. “I’ve shot better out here but I will take it.
“I had a couple putts that wouldn’t drop, but I guess you can’t make them all.”
The trio of Brendan Humphrey, Johnny Fields and Scott Franjesh each scored 43s to lead the Hornets. Oxford is now 1-2 on the season.
“I think our kids did well considering what they were up against,” said Oxford assistant coach Jerry Day. “We played bogey golf and that’s what we are trying to do. We will try to improve on that, of course, as we go along.”
It’s interesting to note that last week, Rustin topped Unionville by double digits at a scrimmage at Fieldstone Golf Club n Wilmington. And on Tuesday, visiting Central Bucks West put a halt to a streak of regular season wins that dates all the way back to the 2016 season.
“Sometimes just getting things like that off your back helps you relax a little bit,” O’Rourke said.
““I try never to take Win for granted. I don’t care who you are, a 33 out here is hard to do. But I’m not surprised. Alex Moore has been right around par all year, and Rex Opdahl also played to his maximum.”
D’Ariano’s two-under-par effort didn’t shock his coach, but it was a revelation.
“Before the match, Ryan said ‘I am going to bring it today,’ and he really did,” Paris said. “This was probably the best high school performance I’ve ever seen him play.”
And it was just round one for Unionville (3-0, 3-1 overall) and Rustin (3-1, 3-1). The two will meet again for a dual meet on Sept. 15th at the Knights’ home course, Penn Oaks Golf Club, and then at the Ches-Mont Championship on Sept. 28.
“Our guys are a little disappointed,” Paris said. “But my question to them: ‘is a home course advantage going to make up a 5-strokes?’ It may.
“We look forward to seeing (Unionville) at Penn Oaks and we know what we have to do: shoot a bunch of really good rounds.
“Unionville knows they have to go through us in the post-season and we know we have to go through Unionville.”
Unionville 178, West Chester Rustin 183, Oxford 222
Par 35 at Kennett Square G&CC
Unionville: Thomas 33, Moore 35, Opdahl 35, Tuerff 37, Donnelly 38.
W.C. Rustin: D’Ariano 33, Talerico 35, Miller 38, Feeney 38, Montgomery 39.
Oxford: Humphrey 43, J. Fields 43, Franjesh 43, Nowland 45, D. Fields 48.
