High school golf rankings gave players a new perspective this season

Mitchell Wins Class B Individual Title as New State Golf Rankings Debut

VASSALBORO — A rush of confidence carried Lincoln Academy junior Colin Mitchell to a dominant performance at Natanis Golf Club on Saturday, securing the Class B individual state championship. The win caps a breakthrough season for Mitchell, who entered the tournament sixth in the newly introduced Maine high school golf rankings and viewed the position as a chance to prove himself rather than a burden.

“I kind of saw it as an opportunity to prove myself,” Mitchell said after his round. “I’m sixth. I’ve got nothing to lose, really.” His strong play helped Lincoln Academy claim its first team title in the Class B competition, with the Braves finishing ahead of anticipated rivals Freeport and Fryeburg Academy.

While Mitchell’s victory stole the spotlight, the field produced other memorable moments. Ryan Savona of Freeport fired a 76‑stroke round that placed him second overall, a performance captured by a staff photographer as the ball soared off the fourth tee. Senior varsity golfers from Freeport and other schools filled the leaderboard, but none could match Mitchell’s consistency over the 18 holes.

The individual championship took place against the backdrop of a broader initiative to bring quantifiable measure to high school golf across the state. Maine Golf, the organization responsible for overseeing the sport’s high school programs, rolled out a ranking system this fall after months of planning. The effort was led by Brian Bickford, Maine Golf’s executive director and the head coach of the University of Southern Maine’s golf team. Bickford, who has long admired the rating models used in other high school sports, said the new system “kind of brings the state together” by creating a common yardstick for comparing players who compete on different courses and under varying conditions.

Bickford partnered with Alex Grant, a 2024 graduate of Nokomis High School and a current member of the USM golf squad, to design the algorithm. As an information‑technology major, Grant was well positioned to integrate each player’s score, the course’s slope rating, and its difficulty rating into a single index. “The better a player shoots on a tougher course, the higher he or she will rank,” Grant explained. “It goes beyond the eye test and score comparisons. A plus‑2 on a more challenging course has to be considered more impressive than an even‑par round on an easier one.”

Grant, who played his own high school career before the rankings existed, admitted that the tool would have been useful back then. “I wish it was something I had when I was in high school, whether I was ranked 1,000 or first,” he said.

The debut rankings quickly became a talking point—and, for some, a source of motivation—among the state’s high school golfers. Winthrop junior Kaydence Allarie entered the Class C championship as the top‑ranked girl in her division. Rather than let the pressure mount, she kept her focus simple. “Anything can happen,” she said. “You pretty much just play and do your best. I just wanted to stay consistent and not worry about everyone else. Just be me.”

Allarie’s mindset echoed a broader theme that emerged as the season progressed: the more rounds a player logged, the more reliable the ranking became. “The more the merrier. It gave you a better ranking,” Grant noted, explaining that the minimum number of matches required for inclusion increased as the season advanced from late August into early October.

The new system also sparked interest beyond the golf course. Todd Sampson, the Maine Principals Association’s assistant executive director, said a handful of athletic directors have approached him about using the rankings to help select all‑conference performers, citing the data’s season‑long scope. For now, however, participation in the rankings remains voluntary, and the MPA has no immediate plans to incorporate them into seeding decisions for the state championships. Sampson, who receives praise for the initiative, downplayed his role. “I feel a little guilty,” he said. “People keep thanking me and congratulating me, and I had little to nothing to do with it.”

Looking ahead, Maine Golf hopes the rankings will continue to mature. As more data accumulate, the organization plans to refine the algorithm and potentially integrate it into future conference selections and seeding processes. For the golfers competing this weekend, the new metrics provided a fresh narrative to accompany the usual chase for medals and team titles.

Colin Mitchell’s victory stands as a testament to the idea that ranking alone does not dictate outcome; it can simply serve as a catalyst for athletes to step up and perform at their best. As the season draws to a close, the state’s high school golf community will watch the evolving rankings with anticipation, hoping they continue to illuminate talent and competition across Maine’s diverse courses.