The golf team finished second overall Oct. 26 at the Maryland State Tournament at the University of Maryland golf course. This strong end to the season came two weeks after the Vikes won the County Scrambler tournament, which features local high school golf teams, for the first time ever.

The road to States this year was much harder for the squad, as they lost Graham Hutchinson, who moved to Texas for his final year of high school. Hutchinson finished first and second in the State tournament the previous two years.

“After losing Graham, one of the best golfers in the state, I wasn’t really sure how the season would go,” coach Karl O’Donoghue said, now in his 13th season as the head golf coach. “But the veterans really stepped up and our new players added a lot of talent to the team.”

The Vikings competed in a state semifinal round of 12 teams Oct. 24, from which only four could advance to the finals. The team finished fourth with a combined score of 332, edging out Stephen Decatur High School by only one stroke.

In the final round on Wednesday, the team shot a significantly better score of 318, which earned them a second place finish. Churchill came in first place, beating out the Vikings by 18 strokes.

The Vikes had five golfers compete at States: freshmen Chandler Kuhn and Dugan McCabe, sophomore Amanda Levy, junior Joey Squeri and senior Elliot Snow. Individually, Levy came in fourth place and McCabe came in sixth.

The Vikings ended up placing better this year than last year, when they tied Wootton for third place with a score of 621.

This was also the first season the team has ever won the County Scrambler tournament.

“We have had plenty of qualified Scrambler teams in the past—even teams that have won States—but it was this year that we finally won,” senior Jordan Johnson said.

The team ended on a high note, and it was truly the culmination of a strong season that is being hailed as a major success for the golf program.

“It has been so fun watching the team come together and perform well, especially at high levels,” Snow said. “Our second place finish at States was an excellent way to cap off a great season.”