By Lou Monaco of NJ.com
The Westfield boys golf team added another piece of hardware to their trophy case Monday.
The Blue Devils (317) won their sixth Group title in school history (1993, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2021), outlasting last year’s champion Cherry Hill East (322) by five strokes at the NJSIAA State Group Championships at Raritan Valley Country Club.
Marlboro (325) and Watchung Hills (344) finished third and fourth respectively.
“Winning a State Group State title is a huge accomplishment for the team and I’m super proud of the guys that helped get us to this point,” said senior captain Jack Paterson, who shot an 8-over 80, 55th overall; 10th in Group 4.
“Going into the state tournament, I knew we had the talent to win it after a great showing at sectionals, it was just a matter if we could play relaxed,” he said. “State championships bring on a ton of pressure to players, but we were all able to handle that and play our game.”
To prepare for the tournament, they walked the course the day before and made their game plan, he said.
“The biggest part of preparing for this tournament was making sure my teammates were confident and understood that they had the game to win a state title.”
Freshman Chase Simms had the low round of the day with a 4-over 76, good for 31st place overall (6th, Group 4). Freshman Henry Blake shot a solid 6-over 78 to record at top 40 finish at No. 40 overall (8th, Group 4). Junior Ben Barshtak (11-over 83, 71st; 14th, Group 4) also contributed to the team win.
“Jack was very focused on helping us prepare for the Tournament of Champions this year,” said Westfield head coach Ryan Daly. “Chase fired a 76 and Henry fired a 78. Both showed they were ready for the big stage. Ben has been one of our most consistent players all season.”
“It all comes down to the fact that these guys never gave up and they fought till the end,” he said. “This win means everything because this was our goal when we started our season. We knew it would take a lot of hard work and handling adversity. They represented our school very well and I am proud of their accomplishment.”