As expected, the St. Cloud Boys’ Golf Team won its third consecutive Orange Belt Conference (OBC) Golf Championship – completing a sweep as the Bulldog Girls’ team won their fifth straight OBC crown a day earlier.
“We had five kids who shot in the 70s today and had two of our non-counting back-ups also shoot 77 and 81 respectively.” St. Cloud head coach Jim Endicott said. “To get to states you need to have great depth and I think we had that today. If we can get that same type of effort in the coming weeks you have to like our chances in districts, regionals and possibly beyond.”
About the only thing St. Cloud did not win on Tuesday was the individual medalist honors.
That honor belonged to Celebration’s George Aguilera, who shot a one-over par 73 to win his first OBC Title. St. Cloud’s Austin Price barely missed a birdie putt on 18 that would have forced a playoff, which opened the door to allow Aguilera to two-putt for the win.
But after that, the Bulldogs dominated the rest of the scoreboard.
Price’s score of 74 was good for a three-way tie for second place with his teammates Gunner Green and Alexander Owen. Eric Hernandez and Chad Knollinger each shot matching 77s, which tied for sixth place and also earned all-conference honors.
In the tournament, the team could designate just five official competing golfers with the top four scores counting. But teams were also allowed to enter “non-counting” additional golfers. St. Cloud’s team depth was so impressive that non-counting participant Tanner Allore shot a 77, which would have tied for fifth and also have earned all-conference honors.
With five of its boys’ players earning all-conference honors, the total matched the five St. Cloud girls’ team that also earned All-OBC honors yesterday – marking the first time in Orange Belt Conference golf history that a school had both its starting five boys’ team and its starting five girls’team members earn all-conference honors.
St. Cloud’s team score of 299 out-distanced second place Celebration (326) by 27 shots. Harmony was third at 406. In addition to medalist Aguilera, Celebration also had one other golfer earn all-conference honors in Jeremiah Bianchi, who finished in eighth place with a 79.
The other all-conference honoree was Poinciana’s Malachi Greene, who carded a solid four-over par 76 to finish in solo fifth place.
Tohopekaliga, Poinciana, Liberty and Gateway did not field full teams in the championship.
The win set up next week’s district showdown with Lake Nona, where the St. Cloud boys’ will be the top seed. The top three teams in districts advance to regionals. “This is the deepest team we have had at St. Cloud in a long time,” Endicott said. “Our goal from the beginning was to advance to the state tournament as a team. To get to that level, you need both talented players and depth. I think we have both.”
Photo Creds: Ryan Adams – Osceola School District Director of Athletics