MATTAPOISETT — The last time Old Rochester golf won a state championship was in 2022 was when cousins Philip le Gassick and Markus Pierre were seniors.
Now it’s their younger brothers’ turn to try to do the same thing.
They’re off to a strong start.
The undefeated Bulldogs passed their biggest test of the season so far on Wednesday afternoon, beating Bishop Stang 224-238 behind the play of senior Peter le Gassick and sophomore Luke Pierre.
The cousins both shot a 2-under par 33 at The Bay Club.
“What they’re doing personally is just tremendous,” said Old Rochester head coach Chris Cabe. “That was the two best scores I’ve seen in one round for us since I’ve been coaching here.
“It goes to show all the work they put in. They’re experienced and the more experience you have, the better you’re going to be. The youngest ones are usually the best ones in all sports you know.”
Golf isn’t a just past time for the le Gassick and Pierre families; it’s a lifestyle.
“It’s all we do,” said Peter le Gassick. “We live and breathe golf. My mom grew up on a golf course and I basically grew up on a golf course.
“I think I had played 18 holes by the time I was 5. Most kids would just quit after three holes, but I’d play and my parents would encourage me. I’m glad they did that because it’s worked out pretty well.”
Luke Pierre added, “We’re a big golf family. There is a lot of competition.”
Pierre said that he’s been trying to beat le Gassick’s scores this season and came close on Wednesday by shooting under par for the first time.
“It was the first time I’ve broken even so it’s pretty cool,” Pierre said. “I hit some putts. Some putts kind of dropped.
“It’s a big rivalry. We came into the day thinking we have to show up and play some pretty good golf.”
Cabe added, “He’s had 37s and he’s had 35s, but for him to come through under par was huge, especially for his age being a sophomore.”
It was the third time this season that le Gassick has shot under par.
“He’s locked in right now,” Cabe said. “The way he’s playing is unbelievable.”
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Cabe said he looks forward to facing Stang (6-3, 2-1 CCL) each year in a matchup featuring two of the area’s top golf teams.
“This was our measuring stick to see where we can be,” he said. “The same thing last year. This is where we really wanted to see what we could do this year in the pressure golf situations. So far so good; we’re stepping up to the plate.”
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Old Rochester and Bishop Stang have won two of the last three Div. 2 state titles with the Spartans victorious in 2021 and the Bulldogs winning the following year.
“This is the third year that we’ve been on each other’s schedules. We should be playing each other,” said Bishop Stang head coach Tom Kennedy. “They’re competitive and a lot of my guys play here during the summer time and some of them live here so they know each other. It’s good. It’s a good rivalry.”
Besides le Gassick and Pierre, the Bulldogs got contributions from Logan Franco (38) and Connor Galligan (38).
The Spartans were led by Matt Oliveira (36), Talbot Lown (37), Jeremiah Matos (39), Harrison Tingley Prince (41), Bianca Ligotti (42) and JJ Podkowa (43).
“Since my freshman year, they’ve always been a great team to face,” Oliveira said. “They’ve had a lot of great players and so have we. It’s really exciting every time we play them.”
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Undefeated Old Rochester golf beats Bishop Stang in rivalry match
