QUECHEE — Mike Hathorn has been a part of the Hartford High golf program since 1997.
He’s helped coach great teams and players. But Thursday afternoon, the fifth-year head coach was able to add a new achievement to his resume: state champion.
Hartford cruised to its first VPA Division II state title in 25 years with a team score of 339, winning by eight strokes over Stowe on the Lakeland Course at The Quechee Club.
“It’s been great today. At the beginning of this year, we said if we shot in the 330s, we’d have a chance to win,” Hathorn said after Hartford’s win on its home course. “We knocked on the door a lot. We had a ton of second places. When you have good kids, good things happen to them.”
After years of talking about winning the crown, the Hurricanes executed the deed.
Brady Hathorn led Hartford with an 8-over-par 80. Despite losing five balls on the day, he rallied to birdie three holes on the back nine. The senior struggled on the front nine with a 6-over-par 41, which included back-to-back bogeys on holes No. 3 and 4.
He carded his worst score of the day on the seventh hole, a par-5. After a strong drive, Hathorn’s second shot went through a pair of trees and couldn’t be found after two minutes of searching. Forced to drop and take a penalty, he finished the hole with a triple bogey.
Still, his 80 was best for 11th overall in the state, which reserves a spot for him in June’s New England high school championship. It’s the second straight year he will compete.
“It’s very special to be on this team that’s went so far over the years,” Brady Hathorn said. “We went from shooting 420 three years ago to almost dropping 100 strokes. My swing fell out of groove. I’ve had my days this year. It’s the team’s day.
“I grew up watching really good teams not win the state championship. It’s cool to put up a banner.”
Freshman Joseph Barwood carded an 85 with seven pars. In his first state tournament, Barwood found comfort on his home course. Instead of being forced to locate the pin before his drive, he knew where it was and also where the hazards were going to affect play.
Barwood realized a big swing wasn’t in his toolbox, so he focused on safe drives that were always in the fairway.
Seniors Justin Jasmin, Logan Raymond and Jared Vanderpot each rounded off Hartford’s effort with 15-over-par 87s. Jasmin shaved three shots off last year’s state championship score. On the back nine, he tallied three pars.
The biggest improvement from last fall came from Raymond, who took off 18 strokes. He birdied on the 15th and had back-to-back pars on 13 and 14. Vanderpot tallied four pars on the back nine en route to a seven-stroke improvement from a year ago.
“I played to my average,” Barwood said. “The seniors played so well. It was great seeing Justin score as low as he did.”
The team started its day with an early breakfast at Cantore’s Crossroads Cafe. Brady Hathorn couldn’t make it due to an early tee time, but the other four Canes were in attendance. For Barwood, it was a chance to break the ice and shake off the nerves before the biggest day of his young career.
It was also an opportunity for Jasmin, Raymond and Vanderpot to reminisce about their last four years and set the tone for the day.
The breakfast must have done the trick. The dinner menu changed for the celebration. “We’re going to have some pizza tonight and enjoy this,” Mike Hathorn said with a smile.
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NOTES: Hartford’s state title come a year removed from its third-place finish at the Country Club of Vermont. … Vanderpot’s score was not included in the final team score. Only four scores go toward the final tally. … Brady Hathorn is looking to play at the college level but doesn’t have a decision at this time. … Stratton Mountain School’s Harrison DiGangi shot a 6-over-par 78 for the D-II medal. He hit a birdie on the back nine and parred on 12 of 18 holes. DiGangi was an individual golfer. … Stowe finished with a team score of 347. The Raiders were led by Lincoln Sinclair’s 82, which was a stroke short of the cut for New Englands. … CVU ran away with the D-I crown with a team score of 304, winning by 10 strokes. All five of its golfers shot a 78 or lower and qualified for the New England championship. … Rice’s Mike Walsh won the D-I individual crown and the overall at even-par 72. He birdied on holes seven and 14. … Austin Giroux from North Country finished second overall with a one-over-par 73. He tallied three birdies on the day. … Josh Cohen had a strong individual day to represent Black River. The junior birdied on 12 and shot one-over-par 38 on the back nine. … Ed Cooke coached the Hurricanes to their last state championship in 1994. A longtime teacher in coach in both Woodstock and Hartford, Cooke died in February at his Florida home.
Pete Nakos can be reached at pnakos@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.