The Jesuit Men’s Golf Team competed in their last Metro League match on Monday April 28th at Portland Golf Club, where they finished the match second, scoring enough points throughout the season to claim their 28th Metro League championship.
Last year, The Crusaders finished as state champions, finishing +19 and winning their 10th OSAA state title.
With a fairly young team, The Crusaders have been working hard as fellow Metro league teams have grown more competitive.
With players Joseph Ulrich and Jack Harrington finishing 1st and 6th place, the Crusaders were able to come out on top of the Metro League.
Playing at a familiar course, Jack Harrington helped claw back some strokes, scoring an eagle on hole 10, a tough par 5 which was a pivotal moment in the match and finished strong.
“But for me, hole 10 turned it over a little bit, and then I birdied two of my last three. So after a bit of a struggle on the front, I got some momentum going on the back.”, Harrington said.
Senior Joseph Ulrich finished the match at even par, scoring a 72 throughout 18 holes.
Coach Matthew Schulte felt the team played very solid all around.
“Yeah, Joseph Ulrich was even par, He did really well. Jack Harrington played really strong on the back nine, and he was three under on the back nine to close out strong. Will Burke and Cameron Fagan both were in the 70s that day. So, you know, anytime you could put four scores in the 70s, you're doing pretty good.”
Although the path to another championship won't be easy, senior Joseph Ulrich is staying optimistic.
“There are a few teams that can definitely have good days out there, but if I had to pick one it would have to be us. I wouldn’t trade teams with anyone else in the state.”
Winning the Metro League allows Jesuit to qualify directly to state, not having to play in the regional tournament, which gives the Crusaders more time to practice and focus on their goal of winning state.
“State's going to be exciting. It's at OGA (Oregon Golf Association) which is in Woodburn. I think it's a pretty wide open state.”, Schulte said.
Coach Schulte could be feeling confident having two first team all-Metro players, Jack Harrington and Joseph Ulrich, and one second team all-Metro player, sophomore Will Burke.
