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06/04/2014 12:00 AMWhile coming into the SCC Championship in the midst of a 1-2-1 stretch, Hand boys' golf did what it always does once the postseason begins and that's reach down deep for a record-setting performance and another championship.
The Tigers earned their second straight and third overall SCC title on May 27 at Racebrook Country Club in Orange by shooting a 310 as a group-one stroke lower than their crown-clinching 311 last year and hitting a new program-low score for the event. While he wasn't the tournament's medalist for the third consecutive spring, Hand senior Brian Carlson co-led the Tigers in terms of solo scores with his 75, as junior teammate Tommy Pellatt matched Carlson's mark with a 75 of his own.
"I started rough, but I progressively did well and shot two-over on the front nine," said Pellatt. "I didn't finish strong, but I was happy with the round. Today what helped me was my driving. I'm usually sporadic with it, but I knew if I could put the ball in play, I would do well, and I hit it far and straight. During the season, it always worked out that only two of us played a good round; not everyone really came together. But today, nobody had a bad round."
Junior Justin Freund also tacked on a 77 to round out a trio of All-SCC team golfers for Hand in him, Pellatt, and Carlson. Freund missed his sophomore campaign due to an ankle injury, but to him, this was near-perfect redemption for both himself and his squad.
"Making the All-SCC team means a lot to me; I got off to a slow start this year, but seeing the progress our team was making means a lot to me," said Freund. "This title really shows how great our team has been. Our goal of the regular season is to prepare for SCCs and states, and I saw significant improvement from our team from the beginning, so to win SCCs is a perfect way to cap it."
Carlson ended the first half of his day one-over-par with a 37 before going three over on a 38 for the back nine despite a birdie on the 15th hole. Moving onto Pellatt's outing, he had a rough double bogey on hole No. 3 prior to responding with a birdie on the following green and then a par on nine to finish the front at 38. The second half saw Pellatt notch birdies on No. 10 and 12, although he shot a double bogey on the 15th ahead of bogies for the 16th and final holes.
"I'm extremely proud of them to shoot what they shot; plus we also had three All-SCC guys, which is very rare to do but shows great consistency," said Head Coach Jim Holleran, whose Tigers also won an SCC title in 2003. "The last few years we've put an emphasis on postseason tournaments rather than match play. We went from shooting a season-low 141 [on May 19 versus Cheshire] to a not-so-good number again Fairfield Prep [a loss the next day], but that's the nature of golf. We just try to peak for the end of the season, and I just have confidence in the guys, and they showed it today."
For Freund, he ended his front half of the course by going one-under on the ninth to scratch out a 39 for that section. He then birdied on No. 17 to score a 38 on the latter nine of the course.
"Mostly, every time I bogeyed, I tried to come back with a birdie. But my putting was big when it came down to it, and just my short game in general," said Freund. "I excelled in scoring around the green, so that I could save strokes with my putts."
Also scoring for Hand were seniors Sam Jablonski (83) and Todd McAndrews (87). Jablonski finished his front nine with a 42 prior to shooting one better for the back on a 41 thanks to pars on 10, 12, 13, and 15. McAndrews pared on the fourth and fifth holes prior to hitting for bogey on the next four to conclude the front at 44, while he shot for par on two of his final four to collect a 43 for the back.
The Tigers now look to complete the three-peat as state champs with the Division II Championship on Wednesday, June 11 at Fairview Farms in Harwinton. The field will be a tough one, yet Holleran knows his boys will do whatever preparation it takes to bring the title home again.
"It will be very tough with [2013 DI winner] Pomperaug and Wethersfield in there," said Holleran. "We have our work cut out for us, but the boys will work."