Five Morris golfers headed to T of C

MAHWAH – Evan Quinn shocked the New Jersey high school golf scene a year ago, when he shot a blistering 66 to win the gold medal at the NJSIAA North 1 and 2 Group III sectional at Darlington Golf Course.

Quinn returned to Darlington on Moday and didn't exactly have the same success he had a year ago, but he did come away with another gold medal performance.

Quinn shot a 73, which was good enough to best every other competitor in the field by a single stroke.

Quinn, a Morristown junior, was one shot better than Mendham sophomore Ryle Heraghty, who shot a 74 to finish second overall and punch his ticket, along with Quinn and teammate Luke Haralampoudis and Roxbury junior Brian Quilty to next Monday's Tournament of Champions at Hopewell Valley Golf Course.

Quilty shot a 75, good for fourth place overall and Haralampoudis, also a junior, shot a 76, which was good for a tie for fifth and the final individual berth from the section.

"It was nice today," Quinn said. "I didn't have the success I had last year, but I really wasn't expecting that. I just wanted to move on to next week and some unfinished business I have at Hopewell Valley. Overall, I'm pretty happy. I didn't make too many mistakes today and focused on hitting the fairways. It's a narrow course, so I just had to stay focused. I knew that my team had a shot, so I wanted to play well for my team."

Morristown will not get a chance to defend its overall Group III title. The Colonials finished 18 holes tied with Northern Highlands with identical scores of 318, one shot behind sectional champion Paramus. After two playoff holes where all four golfers played, Northern Highlands prevailed.

Only the top two teams and top five individuals in each sectional move on to the T of C. The only other local golfer to qualify for the T of C Monday was Pequannock's Brett Lubba, who shot a 76 at Bowling Green in Oak Ridge to finish fourth.

"We knew that it was going to be a lot tougher than it was last year," Morristown head coach Chris Edmondson said. "I didn't know much about the Bergen County teams, but I did know about West Morris and Mendham. I had never been in a playoff situation before with a team. We had an opportunity to win it, so that is a little disappointing."

Heraghty definitely raised some eyebrows at Darlington, as several other golfers asked who he was and what school he was from. The Minutemen also received a solid performance from Joey Goryeb, who shot a 78, good for a tie for eighth place.

"I hit it well all weekend, especially my putts," Heraghty said. "I was hoping to have a good round. I've been waiting for my game to come together. I really worked hard on my short game, my chipping and putting. I got birdie on holes 6 and 7, so that gave me a lot of confidence. But I was feeling pretty good all day. I was really happy with the way I played today and that inspires me as we move forward."

Mendham finished fifth as a team in the sectional, three strokes behind Scotch Plains-Fanwood. Sister school West Morris was seventh overall and Roxbury eighth.

Wolfpack senior Blake DiPaolo was on fire with a 35 through nine, but carded a 43 on the back to finish at 78. Teammate Tommy Hayes was one shot behind at 79 and Matt Ferriero shot an 81.

"I had my doubts, especially after I three-putted the last hole for bogey," Quilty said. "But once I saw everyone come in and putting the scores up, I started to get a little hope. I really played well last week and had a lot of confidence coming in, so that definitely helped me. I've worked so hard for the last two years to get this chance (to go to the T of C), so yes, it feels really good."