By Andy Hutchison

Staples girls golf comes off a week in which the Wreckers lost a close one to Wilton, were rained out versus Ridgefield in a controversial match, defeated St. Joseph and lost to Greenwich in a three-team match. And the Staples squad heads into the final week of the regular season with some important play ahead with a rescheduled match against Ridgefield to determine whether or not the Wreckers qualify for the FCIAC Tournament.

On May 19, the Wreckers lost to Wilton at Silvermine Golf Course 176-173. On May 21, Staples hosed a tri match at Longshore Golf Course, a match rescheduled due to weather. Staples scored 199 and lost to Greenwich (187) but beat St. Joseph (204).

In the loss to Wilton, captains Katlynn Mitchell and Eliza Wadley both scored a 43, Ryan McGrath 42 (birdie), Lucy Hill 51, Lillian Hallett 54 and Jaden Tracey 50.

Against Greenwich and St Joseph, Mitchell and Wadley both carded 50, McGrath and Hill 51, Hallett 48 and Riley Sklar 68.

The highlight of the week was when Mitchell fired a team low of the season 41, which is four over par 37 from the white tees. Her two birdies helped the Wreckers have a 24-stroke lead against Ridgefield on Wednesday May 20, but with one hole to play the thunder and lightning forced the last two players off the course on hole 9.

The teams waited an hour and forty-five minutes for the storm to pass after Mitchell’s first group finished, but to no avail.

“This is the biggest mulligan in golf that I’ve seen in my 20 years coaching. We have to replay the entire match from the start based on CIAC rules, unless the coaches agree to give the players the maximum on the hole. We suggested that, but the other side would not agree. It’s mathematically impossible for Ridgefield to come back from this deficit,” Staples Coach Patty Kondub said. “If we gave our four players the maximum possible score on the final hole and assigned Ridgefield all had birdies, we’d still win.”

Staples has to host Ridgefield the final week of the season now in a tri-match with Darien, at Longshore Thursday, May 28 at 3 pm. A win secures the Wreckers a spot in the FCIAC Team Championships at Sterling Farms in Stamford on June 2.

Staples has one other tuneup, a rematch with St. Joseph Tuesday, May 26 at Tashua Knolls Golf Course at 3:10 p.m.

In the photo, players in the varsity and JV match are, front row: Clara Shope, Gia Narang, Kaitlin Clementi, Katelynn Mitchell, Eliza Wadley and Malena Tortorella; and back row: Dani Pleiter, Bryn Lieberman, Elle Worobec, Lillian Hallett and Lucy Hill.

Andy Hutchison

^{_{Andy Hutchison has been covering school sports — including Staples athletics — as well as news and feature stories, since the 1990s. He is the sports editor at the Newtown Bee. He writes for the Monroe Sun. He was director of communications and radio color commentator for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (now Islanders) hockey team. He has won numerous writing awards, including regional and national first-place honors.}}