OLDSMAR — It wasn’t Clearwater Central Catholic’s best day on the golf course, but the team score of 312 Monday was enough to win the Class A-15 district championship on East Lake Woodlands’ par-72 south course. Led by Ryan Orr’s 73, CCC defeated St. Petersburg Catholic by seven shots and Shorecrest by eight. All three schools advance to the region tournament next Monday at The Eagles Golf Course.
Also, the top three individuals not on teams that advanced are moving on. Northside Christian’s Anthony Quintessenza shot a tournament-best even-par 72. Calvary Christian’s Zach Wood and Ben Murray shot 75s to earn the other spots.
“I started out pretty good,” said Quintessenza, who shot 67 at the Vinoy Invitational on Thursday. “I was 3 under through the first 14 holes. But then I kind of got distracted. I made three bogeys down the stretch.”
For Calvary Christian’s Murray, it was uncertain whether he’d play. Two weeks ago he injured his right shoulder in a fall at the school’s weight room. He didn’t play golf for two weeks and decided Sunday to play in the district tournament.
“I played about eight holes on Saturday and nine on Sunday,” Murray said. “It felt okay so I decided to give it a try.”
As a team, Calvary Christian narrowly missed out on advancing after shooting 322, two shots behind Shorecrest.
Aside from Orr, CCC got contributions from Connor McMahon (78), Clayton Spilman (80) and Martin Fennemore (81). St. Petersburg Catholic was led by Matt Rothrock, who shot 73. Shorecrest was led by Karim Oliver (75).
On the girls side, Northside Christian and Indian Rocks Christian were the only schools with enough players to field teams. The Mustangs won with a team score of 311. Indian Rocks Christian shot 398.
Northside’s Alison Armstrong shot 1-under 71 to lead all players. Teammates Alyssa Lamoureux (78), Sarah Noto (80) and Ryanne Jackson (82) also contributed.
“Today was a very good day,” said Armstrong, who had 15 pars, two birdies and bogey. “I felt good all day. It was a pretty consistent round.”
The three individuals who will advance to regionals are Emma Paschal of CCC (83), Emily Swidock of St. Petersburg Catholic (98) and Katelyn Degnan of Canterbury (99).