By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

HAMMOND — St. Charles golf coach Gary Zeringue believed that his Comets were in for their toughest test in quite some time, entering into one of the most competitive regionals in the state Monday at Oak Knoll Country Club.

And the road to qualifying for state would get even tougher: Zeringue and his team learned recently that, with only nine teams entered into the regional, only the top three teams could qualify. In the past, it’s been four.

But the Comets answered the bell, advancing to the state tournament for the fourth year in a row, finishing third overall.

St. Thomas Aquinas took the regional championship, posting a score of 309. Northlake Christian took second with a score of 322, and St. Charles rounded out the roster of state qualifiers with a score of 333.

Newman just missed the cut with a score of 343. Riverside captured fifth place, shooting 357.

“We knew we’d have to play really well,” said Zeringue. “We knew it would be a dogfight. Four years in a row, that’s a really big accomplishment for our program, in my mind. We felt like this year would be the toughest on us to continue that streak, but here we are. Our kids rose to the challenge.”

The Class 2A state championship will be held at Beaver Creek Golf Club in Zachary.

The Comets’ top scorers were Matt Autin (81), Jesse Coleman (83), Ryan St. Pierre (84) and Lance Perrilloux (85). Autin finished sixth overall.

The St. Thomas duo of Grady Brame, Jr. and Connor Taylor tied for first place.

“Matt and Lance have set the tone for us and led us this year, but Jesse and Ryan put up their best 18-hole scores in two years,” said Zeringue.

Riverside’s Bradley Schultz will also move on to state, qualifying with a score of 86. Todd Millet (88) Deuce Wallace (91) and Cory Costanza (93) rounded out the Rebel scorers.

Riverside coach Roy Aubert said that he was pleased with his team’s performance, especially considering some of the adversity the Rebels faced in terms of injuries suffered.

“We started this year in the 180s and moved down into the 170s by the end,” said Aubert. “Last year at this event, we shot 404. Considering we’ve had guys missing with a broken wrist, pulled muscles, sprained ankles … just fielding a full team here was an accomplishment.”

Schultz was the player that returned from a broken wrist. Next week, he’ll compete at state.

“To be able to qualify for state after that injury is impressive,” said Aubert.

“He didn’t even have a practice round. He had a dentist appointment when we played the course. But what may have helped, he played with a friend of his at St. Charles (Ryan St. Pierre) and they had played up here. He might have helped him. Bradley played very well.”

Zeringue said that the competition only gets tougher from here.

“I think that 2A and 5A are the toughest classifications in the state,” he said.