Prep successfully defends Division I title
NEW BRITAIN — The golfers at Fairfield Prep may not have openly admitted the pressure existed, but anytime a team championship is there to be defended, pressure comes with the territory.
The Jesuits were the heavy favorites to repeat at Monday’s Division I state championship meet. Add the fact this was Prep’s last spring season before moving to the fall added even a little more intrigue.
But for the Prep seniors, this was it. And they weren’t about to go out without another piece of hardware.
One of those seniors, Mike Rothberg, fired a 2-under-par 69 to earn medalist laurels at Stanley Golf Course. The round helped Prep post a 304 cumulative total to win by 8 strokes.
“We worked really hard for it so it looks like our efforts were rewarded. It’s really fulfilling,” Rothberg said. “It feels about the same, we repeated. We accomplished what we wanted.”
Fairfield Prep coach Bob Bernier couldn’t hold back the smiles afterwards — with a sigh of relief as well on the mission accomplished. He also noted his seniors went through graduation ceremonies on Sunday — it’s the first Sunday in June every year, the day before the Division I state meet.
“It feels really good because I know how much pressure these guys put on themselves,” Bernier said. “They played the entire season with the bullseye on their back and they knew it and they knew they had to win today or the whole season would just be a disappointment,” Bernier said. “They had a long day Sunday, but yet they remembered to go home and get a decent night’s sleep. A lot of teams I have coached that were pretty good struggled with playing (in the state championship meet) the day after graduation. It’s just not the ideal scenario.”
Prep shot the same total as last week to repeat as SCC tournament champions at The Farms CC. The
same team that finished second last week finished runner-up to Prep again this week.
Cheshire cut the deficit in half — it was 16 strokes on June 1 — to place second behind Jack Brewster’s 74 and A.J. DePaolo’s 75. Cheshire was the only team to defeat Fairfield Prep during the regular season.
“It was close right to the end and the last two sets of scores decided it,” Cheshire coach Dan Lee said. “They wanted to come here and compete and I think they did that. Rothberg came in with a 69, that pretty much sealed it right there. They beat the field today.”
Rothberg birdied holes 7, 9, 12 and 14 on Monday.
“He prepares mentally for a round and when he executes what he is trying to prepare to do, he is really tough to beat. He’s our bulldog, Mr. Steady,” Bernier said.
Charlie Duffy, another Prep senior, shot 73 to not only help Prep defend, but earn a spot alongside Rothberg in Saturday’s State Open at Black Hall Club.
“It’s very rewarding. Coming into (the season) there was definitely pressure to repeat,” said Duffy, who will walk on at Loyola (Md.). “Having the ability to do it is definitely rewarding.
Guilford’s Andrew Beauton finished second to Rothberg, shooting a 1-over 72. He was 3-over-par through four holes before settling down
“I started off the round not too great, then I pulled myself together,” said Beauton, a freshman and a
member at both Pine Orchard Yacht and CC and Madison CC. “I’ve been playing a lot at both clubs to keep my game intact. I’m excited to be a part of the field (at the State Open).”
Scott Petrosky of Bristol Central and Reece Scott of Hand joined Duffy in a tie for third place at 73 and both qualified for the State Open also.
Hand, the winner of the last two Division II state championship meets, placed third at 323, followed by Xavier (326) and Amity (327). The top eight finishers all were from the SCC.
Now, Prep leaves the SCC to play next fall as an independent. A chance for the three-peat in less than two calendar years.
“We are going to enjoy this one for as long as we possibly can,” Bernier said.