A record-breaking season for the Bishop Moore boys golf team ended with one more first for the program: its first FHSAA state championship in the sport.
The Hornets improved their first-round score by 15 strokes on Wednesday to finish first in the Class 2A golf state final at Mission Inn Golf Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills with a score of 603.
It was just one stroke better than runner-up Fleming Island, but one was enough.
“We wanted to post a good score and make the leaders have to catch us, and it was enough,” said Bishop Moore coach Marvin Snyder, an assistant principal in his second year back on the golf job after a three-year hiatus.
Before the break, Snyder coached the Hornets for nine years with a state runner-up finish in 2017.
His team shot 294 at the El Campeon Course after a 309 on Day 1 in which some of the players struggled.
“The boys told me yesterday they had a lot left in the tank, and they showed it today,” Snyder said. “This was the goal all season. On Monday, we had a meeting and asked the guys what they would be happy with. Some said better than last year (fourth place), but one guy said winning it all was all he would be happy with.”
Snyder wouldn’t specify who that prophet was, but maybe his parents should buy a lottery ticket.
“It was a total team effort,” Snyder said. “Ryan Oats had a tough day on Tuesday and bounces back with a 77. Cooper Welch was 2-under-par headed into the 18th hole, and Noah Manly had an amazing 72, making birdies when we needed them.”
Bishop Moore’s top golfer was Jack Mokris, who followed up his 68 in Round 1 with an even-par 72. He finished runner-up individually, one stroke behind Vanderbilt recruit Sohan Patel of American Heritage of Plantation.
The title culminates a season in which the Hornets broke multiple school scoring records, including an 18-hole round of 271 in their district tournament, and Mokris’ individual round of 62 in that same meet.
The Bishop Moore golf team takes the stage to receive the state championship trophy at Mission Inn. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
“We averaged 296 for 18 holes in the regular season, and we shot 294 today,” Snyder said. “We played our best golf when we needed to play it.”
Even better news for Snyder and the Hornets is that they graduate no one.
Oh, and they will make their first appearance in the annual Qdoba Tournament of Champions since 2018.
The annual event hosted by former Circle Christian coach Scott Richardson at Providence Golf Club in Davenport invites the top three teams in each class, girls and boys. Bishop Moore hasn’t been invited since the state runner-up finish in 2017, a season in which the Hornets won the Qdoba event.
“Scott texted me congratulations after we won today,” Snyder said. “I got so many texts from fellow coaches in different classifications. It’s a great win for the Bishop Moore family and for Central Florida in general.”
In the 2A girls tourney, American Heritage cruised to the title with a score of 601 on the Las Colinas Course, 19 shots ahead of SLAM Academy. The individual title went to Ryan Donaldson of Suwannee with 140.
Bishop Moore’s girls finished 10th with junior Emma Sanabria placing 15th individually with a two-day score of 151.
Bishop Moore’s teamwork helps golf star Jack Mokris deal with diabetes
Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.
