VASSALBORO — Golfers gathered near the clubhouse entrance at Natanis Golf Course on Saturday, nearly five hours after the Maine state team golf championships began.

St. Dominic Academy coach Kevin Cullen huddled in the biting breeze with a handful of the Saints’ players and parents. Looking each of the players in the eye as they finished their rounds, Cullen shook their hands.

“You played well,” he told them. “You all played well. This weather, these conditions, they were tough. It wasn’t easy out there.”

A soggy, wind-whipped Arrowhead course at Natanis forced scores higher than normal, and for the second consecutive year, Houlton’s golf squad managed the high winds and tough greens better than the Saints did — barely.

Ian Gervais led Houlton with a 5-over-par 77 and the rest of the Shires held their own with steady scores in the low 80s to edge St. Dom’s by a single stroke, 327 to 328, to capture a second consecutive Class C state golf team title.

“We’ve been here six years in a row now, and it always seems like we win or lose by three shots or less,” Houlton coach Marty Gervais said. “That’s what we instill upon the guys all day, that every shot matters.”

Key in the Shires’ win was the final score posted in the Class C tourney, an 83 from Parker Sanderson, that featured an eagle 2 at the par-4 ninth and a double bogey 5 on the ensuing par-3 10th.

“That eagle was huge; it basically won us the tournament,” Marty Gervais said.

The Saints, state champs in 2007 and 2008, fell by four shots last year to Houlton.

“Last year was four, this year was one, maybe we get them next year,” Cullen said.

Dylan Rodrigue led the Saints with a 6-over-par 78, while Isaac Reed added a 79, which helped St. Dom’s to an early advantage.

“To shoot those scores today in these conditions, those were great rounds,” Cullen said.

After Ian Gervais’ 77, the Shires’ best scores were bunched together. Nick Chase carded an 82, Sanderson added his 83, and Gaige Flewelling finished with an 85.

“All the players, they played good, solid golf today, they kept their heads together,” Marty Gervais said. “The scores were high, I was thinking we needed to shoot about 320 to take it. I was a little bit pessimistic, but we were playing head-to-head in our groups today, which was great.”

Each of the Saints’ and Shires’ golfers were in a foursome with a golfer from each others’ teams, giving the day a match play feel.

Danny Nadeau, the first golfer to finish for the Saints, rallied late in his match to tie Flewelling, giving both teams a sense of just how close the match might end up.

“All of the golfers today finished strong,” Cullen said. “They all hung in there and gutted it out when they could have gotten down. (Nadeau’s) finish was huge.”

Zach DeBlois rounded out the St. Dom’s scoring four with an 86, and Anthony Fagone carded an 87 as the team’s fifth golfer.

Dirigo High School achieved its goal and then some Saturday. The second-best qualifiers out of the Mountain Valley Conference behind St. Dom’s, the Cougars bettered their qualifying score by 12 strokes and took home third place with a four-person score of 355.

“We played as well as we could have played,” Dirigo coach Seth Fournier said. “Honestly, that might have been our best tournament of the year, and that’s what you want when you make it to this level.”

Robbie Babb led the Cougars with an 84, and Justin Richards also broke 90, posting an 89. Justin Conant (90) and Mitch Stanley (92) also posted scores toward the team’s total.

In Class A, Gorham High School came seemingly from nowhere to earn the title thanks to a three-way tiebreaker. The Rams, Brunswick Dragons and Deering Rams each finished the day with four-golfer totals of 329. Thanks to Spencer LaPierre’s 86 as the Rams’ fifth golfer, Gorham earned the state team title. Brunswick’s James Waring, with a 92, was next among the teams’ fifth golfers, and the Dragons took home the silver plaque. Deering placed third, and fellow favorite Cheverus earned fourth with a 333.

Edward Little, which squeaked into the tourney after finishing sixth at the KVAC qualifier, placed 12th in Class A with a 382 team total.

Falmouth ran away with the Class B crown, posting a 315 total to better Western Maine Conference rival York by 12 shots. Yarmouth made it a WMC sweep in the top three, while Lincoln Academy and Presque isle rounded out the top five.

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