Ridgewood edges IHA at Arcola Invitational by Greg Mattura of The Record
PARAMUS – This could be the deepest girls’ golf team that Ridgewood has had this decade.
The Maroons capitalized on their depth by winning Wednesday’s Arcola Girls Invitational at Arcola Country Club by two strokes over The Record’s No. 1 team, Immaculate Heart.
“This is a tremendous performance by our girls today,” Ridgewood coach Brian Quirk said.
Ridgewood won the nine-hole event with a 143, while Immaculate Heart was runner-up with 145. Bergen Tech was third with 152, Northern Highlands fourth with 158 and Holy Angels fifth with 160.
The event featured a Pinehurst format, in which each six-player team was divided into three pairs. Each girl hit a tee shot, then hit her teammate’s drive. From the third shot on, they alternate hitting the same ball.
“I think that they could have put up a little bit of better numbers,” Immaculate Heart coach Lauren Rhein said of her team, “but I think it adds fuel to the fire.”
Hyoyi Joo and Mikayla Mancini led Ridgewood by partnering for a 5-over-par 42, which tied for the lowest score with Holy Angels’ Kelly Sim, New Jersey’s two-time reigning Girls titlist, and Kelly Behrens.
Quirk’s decision to partner Joo, the team’s No. 1 player, with Mancini, the No. 6, worked well. They had four pars and five bogeys, with Joo’s highlight a 15-foot putt to save par. Last year, Mancini had an ace and Quirk said, “I think she brought the magic again.”
“I think the pairings worked really well today,” said Joo. “What I fell short in, my teammate kind of helped, and I’m sure that was the same for the other partnerships.”
Ridgewood’s Alyssa Soma and Thea Saunders teamed for a 50, while Kelly Rekucki and Virginia Mannion carded 51.
Ridgewood arrived with momentum. Last week, the Maroons shot a four-player 173 that represented the program’s lowest nine-score this decade.
“They’re competing with each other to go lower, which isn’t always necessarily the case,” Quirk said. “So the pairings seemed to work out today.”
Immaculate Heart’s best score was a 43, by Regina Garvey and standout freshman Yoona Kim. Charlotte Stanton and Olivia Costello added a 49 for the Blue Eagles.
“I always tell the girls that the reason I like playing in this Invitational is because they learn what teamwork is,” Rhein said. “They’re reading each other’s putts, and they’re working together, so they can take what they learned today and bring it into the rest of the season.”
What does this mean for the rest of the season? Well, it could mean that Ridgewood might have the depth to reach next month’s State Girls Championship. It could also mean that Immaculate Heart might face some serious competition in Bergen County and in its quest to return to the State Championship.
“I think sometimes things like this are good to give them more momentum,” Rhein said, “and more drive to finish the season strong.”