After a brief one-year hiatus, Aberdeen Roncalli returned to its familiar perch as Northeast Conference Golf Tournament champion.
The Cavaliers, who had their five-year grip on the NEC title wrestled away by Groton last season, were in total control on Tuesday winning the team crown by a whopping 46 strokes at Lee Park Golf Course.
“Hard work’s paying off. They work hard all summer long,” said Roncalli coach Jon Murdy of his players. “They worked hard for I don’t know how many years in a row, so they’re finally seeing the benefits of all that work.”
Roncalli finished with a team score of 303.
“There was a time when 340 was winning it,” Murdy recalled.
The Cavaliers have finished right above the 300 mark in four of the five tourneys they have played in so far this season.
“I have five kids that want to play golf, all day, every day,” Murdy said. “Not every team can say that they have that.”
Roncalli had five of the top eight finishers, including four of the top five after medalist Jonathan DeBoer of Milbank. The senior shot a 2-under-par 69 to top the field by five strokes.
DeBoer said a key was “staying out of the trees, and staying consistent, hoping that putt drops in.”
DeBoer, who also won the NEC individual championship in 2022, was seventh at least year’s conference tourney. The senior said practice has made a huge difference.
“It’d be a lot of hard work in practice,” DeBoer said, “and staying consistent, and trusting my process.”
DeBoer was a regular this past summer on Sanford Tours and South Dakota Golf Association Junior Tours.
“There’s bigger fields and more difficult courses,” DeBoer said of those events, “and the competition is competitive and it helps you stay sharp.”
DeBoer jumped in front early on Tuesday and never looked back on the way to the win.
“The golf that I watched him play, it was fairways or just off the green or on the green,” Murdy said. “Makes golf easy when that’s happening for 18 holes. He played well.”
Roncalli’s Harper Schnabel finished runner-up, with teammate Lucas Daggett in third, both with rounds of 74. Finn Anderson was fourth with a 75.
It marked the fourth second-place finish for Schnabel this season, along with a third-place showing.
“It’s been cool, because I’ve been playing some really solid golf,” Schnabel said, “but for the team we’re doing pretty well. That’s what really matters.”
Schnabel, who played for Roncalli three years ago before golfing for Tea Area and then at Sioux Falls Christian last season, is right back where it all started.
“I’m really close with this group of guys. We all have a lot of fun together,” Schnabel said. “Practice is super fun, super competitive every day. They just push me to do my best.”
Daggett pieced together a season-best round, despite struggling in one aspect of his game.
“I hit a lot of greens. I didn’t putt very good, but 74 is still a good score,” Daggett said. “If I can putt better next time, I’ll have a lot better round.”
Daggett is part of a team that features a variety of players who are all capable of shooting the team’s low score. He said the competition makes things enjoyjable for the members on the squad.
“It’s super fun. It’s a lot of in-house competition, always striving to beat that guy in front of you,” Daggett said. “You’re always striving to shoot lower scores.”
Jesse Hernandez finished in seventh with an 80, and Matthew Gerlach took eight with an 86, helping Roncalli secure its spot back on top of the conference.
“Losing was kind of a surprise last year,” Daggett said. “We thought we had it. We just didn’t play good.”
That was not the case this time around. The Cavaliers played like a team with something to prove.
“Last year was a big talk of, you think you guys deserve to win it, but you still have to show up, you still have to play,” Murdy said. “So today, make sure you show up, even if your ‘A’ game’s not there, show up, play, finish it off. Rightfully so, they did a good job.”
And while the biggest tournaments of the season still lie ahead, the Cavaliers can cross one goal off their list.
“Happy to have the NEC back,” Murdy said.
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