Branson takes NCS team title
Marin quartet advances; wind, rain, hail can't dampen spirits of golfers
The competition keeps getting better, so Charlie Farrell and Ryan Herbst just keep improving. The Branson School duo led the Bulls to the team title at Monday's North Coast Section Division II boys golf tournament at Valley of the Moon Golf Club in Santa Rosa.
Farrell and Tam's Ben Friedman were among those tied for fifth with a 2-over par 74, just three shots off the pace. Herbst and Drake Parrish-Smith, the top scorer all season for Archie Williams, tied for ninth with a 76. The top 18 individuals from the Division II tournament advance to the NCS Division I tournament, to be held Monday, May 16 at Lone Tree Golf Course in Antioch. Friedman, Farrell, Herbst and Parrish-Smith be joined by the golfers from Redwood, which earned a Division I team berth after the MCAL championships last week.
“(Farrell and Herbst) have the game to get through at Lone Tree,” Branson coach Ian Albrecht said.
Branson led the field with a team score of 311, followed by Miramonte and Saint Mary's, which were tied at 319. The Bulls' Jack Rende carded an 80, with Aria Saluja at 81.
“I'm proud of the boys,” Albrecht said. “We had a good week of preparation and it paid off. This was a great way to end the season as a team. (Farrell and Herbst) and Jack Rende have been playing great all season, so there was no surprise in how well they did at NCS.”
Marin Catholic, the MCAL champion, finished in a tie with Berean Christian for fifth place with a score of 330, led by Theo Anderson (78), Truman Ashforth (82), Ryan Boyd (83) and Olie DeGraeve (87).
Tam's Ben Friedman tied his score of 74 from the MCAL tournament, while teammate Adam Dali shot an 88.
Terra Linda's Sean Madden (80) has been solid all season and continued his success Monday. Other top individuals were Novato's Tino Zucconi (84) and Marin Academy senior Oliver Vilkin (83) and freshman Charlie Hansen (85), who both had solid outings, despite wet and windy weather, and even hail. Vilkin's score was the lowest for any golfer from the Bay Counties League at the NCS tournament.
“The competition was tough. It's always good at those events,” Marin Academy coach John Haight said. “This was a great way for the guys to finish their seasons, on a high note.”