Concord-Carlisle's golf team sits tied atop the Dual County League's Thorpe Division with Westford Academy, both at 7-1 in league play and 8-1 overall, the Boston Globe reported Sunday. The catch: Westford owns the head-to-head tiebreaker after beating the Patriots 237-244 on Sept. 14 at Nabnasset Lake Country Club.
That means CC can't afford another loss.
The Patriots, defending co-DCL champions, have won seven of eight league matches behind a senior-heavy roster led by captains Joe Grasso, Glen Murdough and Sophie Redmond. Redmond, who committed to Loyola Chicago in August, delivered one of the season's signature moments Sept. 17 against Weston. She aced the par-3, 127-yard ninth hole at Concord Country Club with a 9-iron, finishing at 1-under 34.
Coach Carl Sweeney described Redmond's 9-iron as catching the pin perfectly to settle in the cup, according to the Concord Bridge.
Sweeney, now in his fourth season, has built the program around those seniors. Junior Tate Miller carried a 38.67 scoring average and sophomore Ben Brooks a 39.75 as of Sept. 20, according to the Globe. Jake Erston has also stepped up, leading CC with a 34 against Newton South on Sept. 8 and a 37 against Wayland on Sept. 15, according to the Concord Bridge.
The lone blemish on the Patriots' DCL record came at Nabnasset Lake, where Westford sophomore Enzo Mora carded a 36 to pace the Grey Ghosts. Redmond and Miller each shot 37 that day, and Grasso posted a 40. The Concord Bridge noted the Patriots "left many opportunities on the greens."
Westford is no less loaded. Senior captains Nick Anderson and Luke Moran anchor the Grey Ghosts alongside Mora and fellow sophomore TJ Kane. Westford coach Patrick Claycomb told the Globe his players know every match will be a grind in a league he considers among the state's toughest outside the Catholic Conference.
The DCL switched from match play to stroke play this fall, ahead of a statewide MIAA shift to the same format. Murdough told the Globe the change gives CC a clearer read on where it stands against teams it expects to face at sectionals and states.
Newton South (5-2) and Acton-Boxborough (5-3) lurk behind the top two in the Thorpe Division standings. CC opened the season Sept. 2 with a 246-250 win at Lincoln-Sudbury, then rolled Newton South 222-252 and Waltham 232-238 before the Westford loss. The Patriots bounced back with wins over Wayland (240-276) and Weston (236-257). A last-place finish among nine teams at the Cape Cod National Invitational on Sept. 20 was a rough non-league outing, but the DCL title race remains squarely in CC's control if the Patriots win out.
The math is straightforward: win every remaining league match, and the co-championship is theirs at minimum. Lose again, and Westford's tiebreaker likely seals it. Sweeney has also lined up non-conference tests against Wellesley and Winchester in October to sharpen his team for the Division 1 tournament.
