HAMPDEN, Mass. — After numerous close calls in recent years, St. John's (Shrewsbury) took home its eighth Division 1 state championship at GreatHorse with a team score of 302.
For believers in fate, this victory had a strong dose of it for coach Sean Noonan and the Pioneers. Joe Plante, a member of the last St. John's state championship team in 2012, died suddenly at the age of 29 last Monday. Noonan learned of the news while on the golf course while the Pioneers were competing in the sectional championship.
"He was the fifth score in that win," Noonan said, "And we needed his score in the card off."
The Plante family has a long legacy at St. John's and with the golf program. It only seemed fitting to do something in Plante's honor. Each player on the team wore a black Titleist hat that Noonan had embroidered with a ribbon and the initials "JP."