The Mt. Hope High School golf team completed what is considered to be its finest spring in the 32 years since the Bristol Warren merger, finishing near the top of the Eastern Division regular season standings and also placing in the runner-up spot to Portsmouth at the coaches' association championship event.

The Huskies and the next 12 squads that did not qualify for team states competed in the Rhode Island Golf Coaches Association Division II Championship Tournament Tuesday, June 3, at Winnapaug Country Club in Westerly where Mt. Hope finished second to the Patriots by two strokes, 329-331.

Ben Peters and fellow junior Luke Domina shared low-score honors for the Huskies, each carding a 7-over, 79 on the par 72 ocean-side course. They finished tied for seventh place individually. Jackson Howland shot 86 and Brennan McLaughlin 87 to account for Mt. Hope's other counting scores. Mason Kachapis shot 90 and Braeden Clark 99.

"We went to Winnapaug and played the coaches Division II championship with three guys who hadn't played in a match all season long and finished second in that tournament, lost by two to Portsmouth," Mt. Hope head coach Wayne Lima said, referring to youngsters McLaughlin, Kachapis and Clark.

Lima continued, "They showed up and they put the numbers up. (Assistant) Coach (Nolan) Ross and I knew what our other three guys could do. And so our thought was realistically Portsmouth was going to be our competition. And we were in it until the last hole. We were very excited about the fact that we could go out there and put up a good fight with guys that are going to be our starters next year. Basically, we got a snapshot of our top six for next year and it was a good showing."

Sophomore Jake Nocon led Portsmouth to the team win, finishing as the day's medallist with a 3-over 75. Lincoln was third as a team behind the Huskies at 333 and host Westerly fourth at 335.

Johnston sophomore Kamryn Kue was the second individual, shooting a 76. Lincoln High sophomore Sean Carroll followed with a 77. Classical senior Dominic Mazza and Portsmouth senior Kyle Bielawa shot 78s. Bielawa's birdie on the 18th hole salted away the Pats' team win. Peters and Domina finished T7 with Ponaganset senior Brendon Moreau and Exeter-West Greenwich junior Ian Smith.

A spring to remember
In terms of total wins, 2025 was the best in the history of the Mt. Hope program. The Huskies did play 16 matches this year, instead of the long-standing total of 14, with the addition of Providence Country Day to the Eastern Division.

Regardless, Mt. Hope enjoyed its best spring overall in a decade-plus. The Huskies wound up with a 13-3 record in their Eastern matches, good for a share of second place with Portsmouth behind unbeaten champ Barrington. Mt. Hope's only losses, two, came to the Eagles and from a split with the Patriots.

The locals also broke the program's record for low total round, carding a 156 at home at Swansea C.C. in one of their two wins over East Providence. The Huskies' 167 scoring average for the season was also the best in recent memory.

"Coach Ross and I had 12-4 as our number. We thought we would struggle with Barrington, but that we could split with Portsmouth and East Providence (10-6). And so getting E.P. both times was awesome. So we finished better than what we were expecting or thinking going into the season," said Lima. "But I think the big thing for us is the six guys who played in every match were dedicated to playing the game better. And so besides practice, they go out and they play a ton on their own and that's what you need. You can only get so much work in during practice. You've got to keep playing and keep playing and keep playing."

The Huskies were among of a group of sides just on the outside of the 12-team field to a berth to states via the RIIL's power rankings scoring system. Mt. Hope was 16th, three points below the cutline.

Not making states couldn't dampen the success the Huskies accrued in 2025. The 13 match wins were far-and-away the best the team has had. Mt. Hope last reached double digits in wins, 10, in the 2012 and '13 seasons. The share of second was also the Huskies' best finish. They placed third in division those aforementioned years.

"We had a couple new kids on the team this year, Lucas Andreozzi and Ethan Martel, that I think made a big difference. They helped us out a lot," Peters said. "And we all improved this year, me, Luke, Jackson and Quinn (Frawley). I think that was big, too. We set a scoring record and almost made states as team, so it was a really good year."

For Peters, 2025 was the second spring in a row he qualified for states. As a sophomore, he finished in a share of 32nd with a two-day score of 163.

"Listen, he's our rock. He's our one. We just tell Ben to go play. Go do your thing," Lima said of Peters. "And so that's always nice because you always know, one, when you're practicing here, he's going to be in a group with three other guys and those three other guys are trying to get to be to the level of Ben. And so they're trying to beat him when they're practicing. And so that only makes them better because now they're grinding and working harder. So, I mean, we're not anywhere close to where we are without Ben."

States notes
Peters was the lone local to qualify for the 2025 Rhode Island Interscholastic League State Golf Championships held Memorial Day week, May 26 and 27, over the par 72 Cranston Country Club layout. Peters shots rounds of 82 and 83 to finish with a 165 total and in a share of 34th place with three others.

"It was cool. I put a lot of time in at practice, and I practiced a lot outside of the team, too, but it's fun," Peters said of earning a spot at states. "Our team almost made it. We were close this year. Jackson, actually, he was really close to making the states, too, as an individual. So, next year, hopefully our team makes it as a whole."

Drew MacLeod led a LaSalle sweep of boys' championships, the sophomore claiming the individual state title in a three-way playoff with St. Raphael senior Zach Taraian and East Greenwich senior Garrett Carney. Each finished with a 72-hole score of seven-over, 149. LaSalle's Brent Rollo and Prout's Rocco Capalbo, the 2024 solo winner, shared fourth-place at nine-over, 151.

Moses Brown junior Adriana Eaton won her second girls' individual title in three years with a one-under, 141 score. Barrington's Claire McTaggart was second with a 158 score and 2024 champ Olivia Williams of LaSalle was third at 159. Eaton helped the Quakers finish second in the team event as Moses Brown compiled a 627 total. East Greenwich was third with a 628, Prout fourth with a 629 and Barrington fifth with a 630.

LaSalle became just the second school to ever capture four consecutive team championships after the Rams claimed the title with a two-day winning total of 613. LaSalle joined Barrington as the only programs to accomplish the extraordinary feat, the Eagles turning the trick twice from 2002-05 and then again quickly from 2007-10.

Cinderella Tiverton interrupted Barrington's run eight titles in nine year, earning its one-and-only state crown to date in 2006. The championship was the seventh for the Rams. Barrington is the far-and-away record holder with 24 state titles, the last coming in 2013.