J-D, F-M golfers compete in state championship tournaments

A quartet of area high school golfers from Jamesville-DeWitt and Fayetteville-Manlius took part in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships early this week.

Of that group, the best finish was turned in by J-D’s Jackson Saroney in the boys tournament at Elmira’s Mark Twain Golf Course, where a strong final round put him inside the top 20.

Having prevailed by seven shots in the May 24-25 state qualifier at Seven Oaks, Saroney had to feel disappointment when, in the opening round of the state tournament, he shot a six-over-par 78 with just one birdie to put him in the middle of the pack.

That turned around in the final round, where Saroney broke par with a 71 highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 12th to go with three other birdies that offset four bogeys, all on the back nine.

It pulled up Saroney to a tie for 17th place with a 149, best among Section III golfers, while J-D teammate Mitchell Archer also shot 78 in the first round but improved to a 75 in his second round with three birdies to share 28th place.

Joseph Dolzeal, a senior from the Wheatley School on Long Island, won the individual state title in a playoff over Horace Greeley freshman Ken Fernandes after both finished at six-under-par 138, one ahead of Newburgh Free Academy’s Josh Yan.

Meanwhile, in the girls NYSPHSAA tournament at the Edison Club in Rexford, F-M girls golfers Gabby Dardis and Lindsay Chong got their first state championship experience.

Dardis, a sophomore, shot an 88 and 87, her total of 175 putting her in a tie for 47th place with a Section III teammate, Cicero-North Syracuse’s Chloe Tice. Chong shot rounds of 96 and 100 for a 196 to finish 79th overall.

As a team, Section III finished fourth, helped in no small part by Sauquoit Valley’s Kamryn Yerman finishing in a tie for sixth place at 149.

Section II, the host section, finished first, with Rome Free Academy third in the NYPSHSAA team tournament behind Scarsdale and Great Neck. Albany Academy’s Kennedy Sewick won the state individual title for the third year in a row, her 136 (eight under par) five shots clear of Scarsdale’s Emma Lee.