The seniors held it together at River Vale Golf Course to help the Bulldogs shoot the low four-player score at Monday’s NJIC Golf Championship and win the Division 2 title.
While Bulldogs junior Phoebe Mattana shot 4-over 74 and Brett Taylor 79, they needed Sherman’s 90 and Thea’s 98 for the winning score of 331.
“They’ve been hot and cold,” Dwight-Englewood coach Dan Ashley said of Sherman and Thea, “so when you catch them on a good day … .”
Saddle River freshman Ross Rabin had the best day, winning the Division 2 individual title with a par 70 from gold tees measuring 5,751 yards.
Glen Rock won the Division 1 team crown with the shoot-four, count-four score of 336, and Eastern Christian senior Matt Van Grouw earned individual honors with 74.
Sherman and Thea each carry nine-hole averages of 48, so breaking 100 was a reasonable goal.
Sherman had only two bad holes, and Thea never did worse than a double-bogey.
“It’s on your mind,” Sherman said of knowing all four scores count for the team total, “but if you hit a bad shot, you just have to take a moment, take a breath and then focus on the next shot.”
“It makes you less aggressive, obviously,” Thea said.
“But while I could have put up a better score, I also could have put up a much worse score. I know my role is to put up a consistent score.”
Rabin scores better in 18-hole tournaments than he does in nine-hole events, and he finished one shot ahead of Cresskill senior Jong Mo Kang and two ahead of Park Ridge/Emerson senior Danny Syring.
Rabin is a slow starter. After opening the shotgun start with a bogey on No. 4, the Woodcliff Lake resident played the back nine at 2-under 33, highlighted by three of his four birdies.
“I have trouble getting started,” said Rabin, whose nine-hole average is in the mid-40s.
“Then once I get started, I get into a zone.”
Glen Rock won Division 1 by 12 shots over Eastern Christian, thanks to the NJIC’s most balanced lineup.
Sophomore Andrew Nappi and senior Kevin Testa each shot 79, with Nappi the division runner-up via a match of cards. Junior John Crawford shot 88 and junior Clay Colquitt 90.
For complete scores, go to northjersey.com/varsityaces
