M’CHIGEENG – While things didn’t go quite as well for the Manitoulin Secondary School (MSS) Mustangs boys’ golf team at the Northern Ontario championship, their team’s win at the earlier North Shore Secondary Schools Association (NSSSA) playdowns made for a very successful season overall.
MSS hosted the North Shore championships at the Rainbow Ridge Golf Course in Manitowaning on September 17. Six high schools competed from around the North Shore district. The MSS team, made up of Grade 12 players Carter Abotossaway, Boston Thibault, Ben Marshall and Grade 10 student Gabe Hare took first place overall in the team category with a total score of 410, followed closely by Espanola High School and Elliot Lake Secondary School who were both two strokes behind in second place.
Carter Abotossaway of MSS won the overall title in the boys’ individual competition with a very impressive score of 82. He won by seven strokes over Devon Moore of Elliot Lake Secondary School who shot an 89. Boston Thibault of MSS finished third with a score of 92.
MSS coach Jordan Smith said it was a very close competition and the MSS team worked very hard to claim the title. “I was very happy with how the boys played. All four competitors needed to shoot well in order to advance as a team to NOSSA (Northern Ontario Secondary School Association). Carter went into the tournament as a front runner and did not disappoint. This combined with Boston, Ben and Gabe all shooting below their handicaps allowed our MSS team to be successful.”
The tournament also ran very smooth, said Mr. Smith. “A very big thank you to Rainbow Ridge for allowing us to use the facility and course. They provided a great day both on and off the course.”
At NOSSA, held at the Lively Golf Club on September 26, there was very steep competition with players from North Bay, Sudbury and the North Shore on hand.
“Our team was hoping to shoot better than their personal bests, knowing that the competition was quite tough,” said Mr. Smith. “All four boys performed well; however, they fell short of qualifying for OFSSA.” He explained as well, “Carter was placed in one of the top groupings for the day and did his best to keep pace with some of the best young golfers from Northern Ontario. He shot an 86 which placed him 13th overall, 10 strokes back of the champion. Carter has continuously made improvements in his golf game and has proven he is able of competing with the best.”
“All four boys have the potential to return next year to defend our NSSSA championship,” added Mr. Smith.
