Vero Beach boys golfers in contention at Class 3A state tournament

Another top-10 finish is within the Vero Beach High School boys golf team's grasp, but the Fighting Indians are among a bunch of teams with an even bigger goal in mind.

The Class 3A state title.

Vero Beach was tied for seventh after the first round of play Friday at Mission Inn Resort and Club at Howey-in-the-Hills, but a mere nine strokes out of the lead.

St. Thomas Aquinas shot 304 as a team on the El Campeon course and has a three-stroke lead over Boca Raton.

Six other teams, including Vero Beach, were within single digits heading into Saturday's final round.

Austin Aliff shot a 3-over-par 75 to lead Vero Beach, which stands at 313. Bryce Hauser shot 78, and Cade Coffey shot 79, but sophomore Ryan Moylan finished in 9-over-par 81.

"We would like to have been closer," Vero Beach coach Mark Cammarene said. "With a good round (Saturday), we can be in the mix. If we play up to our capabilities, I think we can go out and post a good number and see how it goes."

Vero Beach players began on the 10th tee Friday. Aliff was 1 under through 12 holes before going double bogey-bogey over the next two.

Hauser was 2 over through nine holes, but had bogeys on five of the next seven holes before closing with a birdie at the par-4 ninth hole.

Coffey, a freshman, had two birdies and nine bogeys.

Moylan, a sophomore who shot even par in both the district and regional tournaments, was 5 over after nine holes, including a two-stroke penalty for taking improper relief on the par-4 18th hole.

He finished with five consecutive pars.

Fifth-player Benjamin Wiggins shot 92. The four lowest scores count toward the team total.

Jonathan Yaun, of Lake Minneola, shot a 3-under-par 69 for a one-stroke lead over Spanish River's Luke Gifford.

Aliff is tied for 13th in the 96-player field.

Vero Beach is trying for its sixth top-10 state finish since 2011.

In Class 3A girls play, Martin County's Meaghan Faulkner shot an 85 and is tied for 55th. She had six pars, 11 bogeys and one double bogey.

East Lake's Madison Hewlett and Lake Nona's Erika Smith are tied for the lead after shooting 2-under 70. Niceville shot 297 as a team and has a three-stroke lead over Lake Mary.

BOYS TEAM SCORES

1. St. Thomas Aquinas 304, 2. Boca Raton 307, 3. Forest (Ocala) 308, T4. Winter Park 310, T4. Gulf Coast 310, 6. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) 312, T7. Vero Beach 313, T7. Plant (Tampa) 313, 9. Chiles (Tallahassee) 322, 10. Lake Nona 323, 11. Columbus (Miami) 326, T12. Palm Harbor University 328, T12. Lakewood Ranch 328, 14. Harmony 338, 15. Windermere 347, 16. Western 407

FRIDAY'S TEE TIMES

Vero Beach boys (1st tee): Benjamin Wiggins 8:20 a.m., Ryan Moylan 8:29 a.m., Cade Coffey 8:38 a.m., Bryce Hauser 8:47 a.m., 8:56 a.m.

Martin County girls (10th tee): Meghan Faulkner 8:20 a.m.