S. Jersey Boys: Hicks top golfer in Group 2

David Hicks won with a 71 and teammate Kevin O'Donnell carded a 78 to finish fourth, leading Middle Township to its third consecutive South/Central Jersey Group 2 sectional golf championship Monday at Wildwood Golf and Country Club.

The top two teams and top five individual finishers qualify for Monday's NJSIAA state championship at Hopewell Valley.

Tom Hughes of Delran, who was third at 76, also qualified out of Group 2.

Burlington Township, led by individual winner Kevin Sarlo (74), claimed the South/Central Jersey Group 3 sectional title at Running Deer Golf Club. Zach Arsenault of Shawnee, Mainland's Colin Roche, and Burlington Township's Ryan Liberty also made the cut.

Haddonfield finished runner-up to Metuchen in the South/Central Jersey Group 1 competition at Town and Country Golf Links. Woodstown's Justin Niblock, Chris Biddle of Haddonfield, and Pitman's Eric Stafford earned individual berths.

Cherry Hill East teammates Eric Parks and Vince Kwon took second and third, respecitively, while Absegami's Chris Filling tied for fifth in the South/Central Jersey Group 4 sectional at Linwood Country Club.

Chris Dougherty's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted Middle Township over Lower Cape May, 6-5, in the championship of the Warrior Classic at Wildwood.

Dougherty batted 4 for 8 over three games and was named the tournament Most Valuable Player.

Tri-County. Host Gloucester Catholic clinched its fourth consecutive Diamond Division title, as Joe Santone pitched a four-hit shutout and Giovanni Gussen drove in three runs with three hits in a 5-0 win over GCIT.

Northern Burlington had won just once in its first 18 matches, but the Greyhounds saw Frank Palmermo pump in five goals and Jesse Whitbeck made 11 saves in handing host Rancocas Valley its first loss of the season, 9-8, in a Colonial Valley Conference interdivision match.

Tim Corn stopped 21 shots for the Red Devils (17-1).