Bishop Moore, Winter Park boys golf teams shine at state tourneys

The Bishop Moore Catholic School Hornets were buzzing on the golf course at the recent state tournament, tying for runner-up in the state of Florida with defending champion American Heritage School with a score of 628 between two days.

Golfers Ignacio Arcaya, Nicholas Diebel, Trey Diehl, Brad Hull and Ryan Hull put it all on the line Tuesday, Oct. 31, and Wednesday, Nov. 1, at the Howey-in-the-Hills’ Mission Inn, making it a step further than their third place finish last year at state.

The Hornets finished 15 strokes behind first-place finisher Ponte Vedra, whom they had defeated earlier in the season when they won the Qdoba Tournament of Champions.

That tournament win gave the Hornets momentum going into the state tournament. Their second-place finish at Mission Inn was the best finish in a state tournament in program history.

“It’s hard to be disappointed finishing runner-up,” coach Marvin Snyder said. “Golf is such a very tough sport mentally. I’m just so proud of them, to think about all the schools in the state that have golf teams. To finish as runner-up is just a tremendous accomplishment for them and shows the amount of work they’ve put in.”

Senior Nicholas Diebel and senior Ignacio Arcaya were standouts for the Hornets in their high-school golf finales. Diebel shot eight over par and finished seventh, while Arcaya tied for 11th with 11 over par.

Another top golfer was freshman Trey Diehl, who played solid golf down the stretch through the district, regional and state.

The Hornets have set the bar higher and higher every year, and hope next season to capture the ultimate prize of a state title.

“Although disappointed that they didn’t win, they’re proud that they put themselves in a position to win,” Snyder said. “It’s been a building process. I’ve been with the school six years. Every year, we’ve gotten little bit better.”

The Bishop Moore girls team made an appearance at the state tournament as well, tying for 10th place.

Wildcats win third place

Winter Park High School finished its state tournament at Mission Inn with an impressive third-place finish, missing first place by just two strokes.

Wildcats Pierre Viallaneix, Sean McGinty, Andrew Clark, Tommy Davidson and Drew Lanier took to the green on Friday, Nov. 3, and Saturday, Nov. 4, looking to make history — and walked away doing just that. Their overall score of 617 put them in third place behind Gulf Coast High School and Forest High School in Ocala — the program’s first top-three finish since 1999, when Winter Park finished as runner-up.

“This year, our goal was to not only qualify for state, but to get in the top three with the champs and compete for the title,” said coach Rob Robison, who slowly has built up the program over the past six years. “To have that actually happen was amazing. It was exciting for the kids. I’m proud of their efforts — they competed hard and gave everything they had.”

Robison said the team never let the score get away from them, putting up consistent efforts throughout the tournament — including a tough stretch during holes three through eight that they referred to as “the gauntlet.”

That was due in large part to senior Pierre Viallaneix and senior Sean McGinty. Viallaneix shot six over par and finished tied for sixth, while McGinty, an alternate turned starter, shot 10 over par and tied for 18th.

Freshman Andrew Clark had an impressive outing as well, golfing a 77 and tying Viallaneix on the first day.

It was a step up from the team’s seventh-place finish in 2016, as well as their eighth-place finish in 2015.

Coming just two strokes short of the state title gives the boys confidence that they have what it takes to go all the way, Robison said.

“We talked about how that’s fuel for the fire; to be that close, you know you now can compete,” he said. “These younger guys have to step up and they have to put the time in. They’re ready.”

The girls golf team finished in 13th place at the state tournament.