Charlie Benson is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chaparral High School for AZPreps365.com

Notre Dame Prep took a commanding lead Wednesday at Aguila Golf Course. The Saints shot 17-under-par to take control of the Division II boys state championship.

Four of Notre Dame’s five golfers finished 3-under or better, with juniors Caden Petersen and Landon Ashcraft sharing the top spot on the individual leaderboard after shooting 67s. It was a dominant performance for the Saints, who hold a 12-stroke lead over second-place Chaparral heading into the final round.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in my time,” Chaparral coach Jim Cochran said, talking about the depth of Notre Dame’s lineup. “Their fours and fives are as good as other teams’ ones and twos. They’ve played well all year.”

Chaparral senior Hudson Ross finished with a 68 after a round filled with ups and downs. He sits in third place on the individual leaderboard, tied with sophomore teammate Aleksei Panek.

Ross was 4-under through the front nine, which included an eagle on the fifth hole and a par from a bunker on the sixth. 

“I was in the desert a lot, actually. I got lucky a couple times. My putting saved me for sure,” Ross said.

Chaparral senior Hudson Ross tees off on the fifth hole. (Charlie Benson photo/AZPreps365)

Ross ran into trouble on the par-5 15th, where he found himself in a bush near a cart path but managed to limit the damage to a bogey.

Panek, meanwhile, posted four birdies on the back nine, but a double bogey on the 11th dashed his hopes of an individual lead after Day One. 

“Eleven screwed me up. The green was just so fast,” Panek said.

Chaparral senior Jack Hart finished the round at even-par after struggling in recent weeks. 

“I care a lot about this team, and being a senior, I just wanted to finish the year off strong,” Hart said.

Chaparral will look to overcome the 12-stroke deficit when play resumes Thursday at Aguila.