However, it wasn’t until Turner Leduc, captain and one of the team’s three seniors, made a double bogey on the first hole, his final hole of the day, that the Clippers held off defending champion Souhegan for a one-stroke victory, 377-378.
“Turner was the last player on the team to take the field, and he needed to get up and down from a tough spot to shoot 83 (and win),” Portsmouth head coach Kyle Harrison said. “For him to go up and down and scream, and for us to win by one was great. I know it was really exciting for him. He’s a senior captain and he came close (to winning) a couple of times before, so to win his senior year was pretty special.”
St. Thomas Aquinas shot 389 and placed third, while Oyster River (417) was fifth and Winnacunnet (429) was seventh.
“It’s definitely a good note to end on,” Leduc said. “It was a pleasure and it was going to be a fun round with the guys. Whether we won or lost, I was going to have a good time; (winning a state title) is a nice way to put the icing on the cake.”
Gagnon, who won the Division II singles championship last year, had three birdies and 15 pars that day.
“I bet your shoulders hurt after today,” Leduc laughed. “It’s a pleasure to have him on the team. I think I’m a decent golfer, but compared to (Gagnon), he’s light years ahead. It’s fun to play with all these guys.”
“It feels great to win it,” Gagnon said. “It’s interesting that Portsmouth haven’t had a better team in the last 61 years, but it’s great to be in the team that did it.”
Leduc, when he approached the par 4 first, didn’t think his score would be good enough to count. He tied for 24th with an 11-over-par 83.
“I went into that last hole trying to avoid anything (positive),” Leduc said. “The drive was good, there was a little fuss on the second and third (shot), but in the end, winning was a double bogey. It was a lucky turn of events.”
Portsmouth went 27-2 in the regular season, the only losses were both to Souhegan; by three strokes at the home course in Souhegan and by one at the Portsmouth Country Club.
“I’ve had some good teams in the past,” Harrison said. “We knew we had to play well to beat (Souhegan) at states. It was just exciting for these kids to do it.”
Portsmouth’s ‘horses’ come out on top
Gagnon shot a 3-under 69 and placed first in a field of 78, edging teammate Beelan and Jacob Wilson of Souhegan by three strokes.
Portsmouth’s Gus Baker and Hollis-Brookline’s Matt Howie tied for fourth with a 1-over-par 73, and Portsmouth’s Grant Haberstroh tied for 15th with an 8-over-par 80.
“My horses on top: Gagnon was as advertised, and (Beelan), who was under par for most of the day, had a couple of hiccups but finished strong and shot for par,” Harrison said. “And I can’t say enough about (Baker). He’s been strong this year, very solid. They played absolutely great up top. And then (Haberstroh) shoots 80. He’s been up and down all year; for him to shoot 80 was incredible.”
Saint Thomas Aquinas takes third place
St. Thomas Aquinas junior Cooper Choate tied for sixth with a 2-over 74, while teammate Ryan Allard tied for eighth with a 3-over 75. Grant Baker tied for 12th with a 6-over 78, and Finn Perry tied for 15th with an 8-over 80. Colby Flaim and Joe Mollica tied for 22nd with a 10-over. pair 82.
Oyster River takes fifth place
Oyster River freshman Joey Alvarez shot a team-best 12-over-par 84, tying for 27th. Teammates Wyatt Churchill and Drew Ramsay tied for 29th with a 13-over 85. Alex Moody tied for 37th with a 15-over 87, and teammates Yash Joglekar and Casey Faul tied for 41st place, with two others, with 88 over par 16.
Winnacunnet takes 7th place
Aiden Cink tied for 15th with an 80-over par, while Alec Mitchell tied for 32nd (86). Will Koutalidis and Colby Swasey tied for 37th with 87, Anthony Del Medico tied for 45th with 89 and Brock Emery tied for 60th with 93.
The 16 best individuals advance to the individual championship
The top 16 golfers will advance to the second and final round of Saturday’s Division II individual championship at Beaver Meadow Golf Course in Concord. Portsmouth and St. Thomas Aquinas will make up half of the field with four golfers each.
The results of Tuesday’s team championship will be combined with Saturday’s round for a 36-hole final. So Gagnon will have a 3-stroke lead heading into Saturday, and Harrison considers Gagnon the favorite to repeat his championship from last year.
“He makes very few mistakes, so in my opinion, someone is going to have to go under par to beat him,” Harrison said. “It’s a lot of fun to watch. He’s so stable and he’s improved over the last few years in his distance and his ball striking. I’ve been doing this a long time and I haven’t seen anyone who’s been consistently on par as a high school golfer like I’ve seen in (Gagnon). It’s a pleasure to watch.”
Dover is sixth in D1; Exeter and Spaulding tandems compete
CANTERBURY – Dover junior Ty Buchanan shot a par-6 78 and tied for 11th, and classmate Michael Gorham shot a par-7 79 and tied for 13th as the Green Wave placed sixth in the eight-team Division I championship at Canterbury Woods Country Club.
Bedford won the team championship with a score of 381, beating Bishop Guertin by 17 strokes.
Dover’s Ryan Sawyer and Brayden Patel tied for 40th with a 13-over-par 85, while Sam MacGregor tied for 45th (86) and Ben Zbikowski (87) tied for 49th.
Both Buchanan and Gorham qualified to continue to Saturday’s Division I individual championship at Beaver Meadow.
Exeter’s Nolan Engler shot 82 and tied for 24th, while teammate Chase Jumper shot 83 and tied for 29th.
Spaulding junior Evan Trepanier shot 83 and placed 29th, and sophomore James Mabey shot 89 and tied for 58th.
“They both played very well,” Spaulding coach Butch Emerson said. “Tough conditions today, difficult pin placement and lightning fast greens. I am very proud of their integrity, their character and their sportsmanship. They represented their team, their school and their community very well today.”
Oyster River’s Nadeau and Winnacunnet’s Fleming qualify for women’s tournament
Oyster River junior Teagan Nadeau shot an even-par 71 to place first in the New Hampshire girls state championship qualifier on Saturday, Oct. 4 at Campbell’s Scottish Highlands. Norah Fleming of Winnacunnet was sixth with an 84, 13 over par.
The top six in the qualifier will compete on Saturday, October 18 for the women’s singles championship at Beaver Meadow.