Boys Golf: Westfield Wins NJSIAA North Jersey, Group 4 Sectional Title

HIGH BRIDGE, NJ — The Blue Devils did it again.Sophomore Chase Simms shot an even-par 70 to finish second on a match of scorecards to help lead Westfield to the NJSIAA North Jersey, Group 4 sectional team title at High Bridge Hills Golf Club on Tuesday.Simms finished second over two other golfers: two-time defending Essex County champion and Montclair senior Vertti Hamalainen (70), who placed third, and Hunterdon Central junior Jaxson Hunt, who finished fourth.Livingston senior Jordan Harris shot a 1-under 69 to win by one stroke to capture the individual title, the first Lancer to do so in over 30 years.“I am very proud of Chase for battling back after a tough start,” said Westfield head coach Ryan Daly. “I saw he was four over after his first six holes and then he made five birdies on his next nine holes to get us right back in it. It was an incredible run that included three straight birdies, and he ended up with six birdies on the day to help us get the win.”The Blue Devils (286) won their second straight and sixth team title in the last eight years, edging runner-up Hunterdon Central (292) by six strokes.Sophomore Jack Brouillard (72) finished sixth, freshman Eli Diamant (72) finished eighth, sophomore Dingwen Yang (72) placed 12th, and junior Chris Smok (73) finished 14th all contributed to the win.Livingston (297), Ridgewood (301), and Watchung Hills (304) rounded out the top five.With the win, Westfield qualified for the State Championships on Monday, May 11, at 11 a.m. at Raritan Valley Country Club in Bridgewater.“We are grateful to High Bridge Hills and all the people who made this event possible,” Daly said. “It is special to compete in this event with many great teams and players. We are honored to have the opportunity to represent Westfield at Monday's Tournament of Champions. We played as a team today and we have to continue playing as a team next week.”