By Andy States
Content Manager, SMAC
His tee shot gone astray, Chopticon’s Bobby Ehrhardt was stuck in the woods with the SMAC championship hanging on the line.
Ehrhardt and North Point’s Mitchell Buccelli, tied at 4-over 74 through 18 holes in Tuesday’s SMAC championship at White Plains, were on No. 10, the first playoff hole for the individual title. But while Buccelli’s tee shot found the fairway, Ehrhardt was able to tie the hole when his North Point counterpart three-putted. Ehrhardt then won the tournament on the second playoff hole, nipping Buccelli by a stroke.
“I was nervous starting out. I’ve never been in a playoff before,” Ehrhardt said after winning the tournament. “I got lucky on the first hole that [Buccelli] three-putted. It was unlucky for him, but great for me because I messed up on my tee shot.”
There was not nearly as much drama in terms of the team competition, as North Point ended its season-long rivalry with perennial SMAC frontrunner La Plata with the upper hand. The Eagles, who do not boast a senior in the starting lineup, shot 305 to clip runner-up La Plata by 13 strokes.
A year ago, the Eagles beat La Plata in the regular season to earn a piece of the SMAC regular-season crown, but the Warriors claimed the conference handily at the SMAC tournament. This year, North Point again won the regular-season dual, but La Plata came back to post the lowest scores at both the District 4 and Charles County tournaments. But with the SMAC title on the line on Tuesday, North Point’s top four golfers grouped scores between 74 and 78 to earn the program conference tournament bragging rights for the first time.
“Luckily today we finally got it when it really counted. We put it all together,” North Point coach Tony Jones said. “My kids have been waiting for this for the whole season, to get an opportunity to play again.
“It was our day. I’m excited about it. We worked hard to get ready, but we also worked knowing that if we could win this it shoots us right into the playoffs, to be ready to try to do something at the state level.”
A big reason for the team success was the performance of Buccelli. The junior, one of the top golfers in the conference, had struggled over the past couple of weeks. But on Tuesday, Buccelli’s round paced his team to the conference crown. Freshman Eric Sawchak came in a stroke behind at 75, while Mckenzie Cutter and Michael Hill each shot 78.
“It was a good round for me,” Buccelli said. “I’m not too disappointed in the playoff just because I haven’t really played well all year. To finally contribute to a good team effort today felt good.
“We all really stepped up. Freshman Eric Sawchak put a really good round up to start things off and then everyone came in with good, solid rounds.”
For La Plata, a team that always holds state-title aspirations and entered the year on the heels of two consecutive 4A/3A state runner-up finishes, Tuesday just was not its day. A week after shooting an aggregate 301 to blister the field, including North Point, at the Charles County tournament at Swan Point, the Warriors were only able to post two sub-80 scores.
“North Point deserves it,” La Plata coach David Russell said. “They won on a neutral site, so they’re SMAC champs. They deserve it. This course has been a nemesis for my guys. It’s very tight and unforgiving. They’re used to a little more space.
“Again, our ultimate goal is to wins states. This isn’t going to do at states — we might not make the cut. It is what it is, and it’s back to the drawing board. We have less than a week to prepare, so hopefully these guys learn from it.”
While La Plata hopes to rebound at next week’s 4A/3A state tournament, North Point will look to ride its momentum. The Eagles, competing as the district’s representative in the 2A/1A tournament, would love nothing more than to follow up their first SMAC tournament title with their first state championship trophy. One added benefit this year, the state tournament is being contested at the familiar confines of Potomac Ridge — North Point’s home course.
“If you can put together two rounds like today, you should be in the money, having an opportunity to win,” Jones said of his team’s prospects. “But again, one hole at a time, one swing at a time.”
Team scores: North Point 305, La Plata 318, Chopticon 323, McDonough 323, Northern 342, Thomas Stone 348, Huntingtown 350, Leonardtown 351, Calvert 357, Patuxent 360, Great Mills 410, Lackey 474
North Point: Buccelli 74, Sawchak 75, Cutter 78, Hill 78
La Plata: Bowling 79, Logan 79, Dove 80, Nagle 80
Chopticon: Ehrhardt 74, King 82, Seifert 83, Jerome 84
McDonough: Dickerson 76, Taylor 76, Gary Bowie 83, George Bowie 88
Northern: Ryon 78, O’Kane 82, Hoffer 85, Wilsey 97
Stone: Reed 84, Schliep 85, Tonstad 86, Boswell 93
Huntingtown: Stallings 77, Knupp 86, Powers 92, Fink 95
Leonardtown: Spak 83, Richards 87, Fenwick 90, Gonzalez 91
Calvert: Fox 86, Peed 87, King 90, Mchale 94
Patuxent: Gradle 79, Courtney 89, Pillion 93, Jaffee 99
Great Mills: Hicks 89, Webster 105, Elliott 103, Wilbur 108
Lackey: Deloache 87, Stiles 126, Lawson 127, Orazio 134
Westlake: Hardos 90
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