Masconomet senior golfer Gabe Dunn got an unmistakable sign that it was his day at the Division 2 North state golf tournament at Hillview Golf Course in North Reading.
The Chieftains' co-captain's drive sailed to the side, only to collide with a tree and bounce favorably back into the fairway. Dunn birdied the hole en route to a round of 71 and the individual medal.
In addition to tying for the top individual score with Lincoln-Sudbury's Graham Small, Dunn helped the Chieftains advance to next week's state finals as a team for the second time in the last three years.
"He told me that once that happened, he knew he'd be having a pretty good day," said Masco coach Ben Hodges.
The Chieftains shot a 308 as a team, just one stroke behind Division 2 champion Concord-Carlisle.
"The kids played tremendous golf today from top to bottom," said Hodges. "To my knowledge, runner-up in Division 2 is the best finish the program has ever had."
Sophomore Alex Kane shot a 76 and also qualified as an individual. He started the day slowly but caught fire over the final 12 holes to finish among the top 10.
Rounding out the scores for the Chieftains was freshman Charlie May, who shot an 80, and junior Jack Rogers, who shot 81.
"It really is an improbable run. We graduated a lot of kids last year and our two seniors have really helped bridge that gap. They're passing the torch along," said Hodges.
Also in Division 2, Marblehead's Connor Green (76) and Jordan Wright (78) each broke 80, as did Beverly's Ryan Lally (77), Nick Pinciaro (78) and Brendan Mitchell (78).
Division 3 North
Danvers advanced to next week's state final by finishing third at the Division 3 North tournament held at Far Corner. The Falcons emerged from an ultra-tight field with a team score of 342, one ahead of fourth-place Lynnfield. Only seven strokes separated third from ninth in a group that also included Triton (344), St. Mary's (346), Newburyport (347), Hamilton-Wenham (348) and Swampscott (349).
Junior Kyle Larson finished eighth overall, shooting an 80 to also qualify as an individual. Sophomore George Merry shot an 83, senior Christian Russo clocked in at 89 and senior Pat Saunders shot 90.
It's the fourth trip to the state final in the last five seasons for coach Jeff Avigian's Falcons.
Division 1 North
For the second consecutive year the St. John's Prep golf team entered the postseason with a perfect record. And for the second straight year the Eagles came up short in the Division 1 North sectional.
St. John's posted a team score of 315 to place sixth, five shots out of third place. Andover (304), Billerica (305) and Central Catholic (310) took the top three spots at Beverly Golf & Tennis.
Nick McLaughlin fired a 76 for the Eagles to advance as an individual, while Nick Maccario (78), Nick Pandelena (79) and Nick Velonis (82) also contributed to the St. John's score.
Peabody placed 14th as a team with a 341 with Athan Goulos leading the way with a 78.
