UPDATE: Moorestown Ranked 4th After Upset Win

UPDATE: The Moorestown boys' golf team (3-0) is ranked 4th in the state in the latest rankings released by NJ.com, thanks in part to a big upset over Hunterdon Central last week. Read up on the team's big win below.

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Moorestown’s boys’ golf team pulled off a major upset last week, knocking off the No. 3 team in the state, Hunterdon Central, in a match that came down to one stroke.

The Quakers went into Thursday’s match against Hunterdon Central unranked—meaning they were not considered one of the top 20 schools in the state—and yet managed to squeak out a 158-159 victory against the three seed in a nine-hole match at .

“Obviously with a one-stroke victory, you need every point,” said head coach Tim O’Reilly. “It was a tight, tight match.”

O’Reilly said Justin DeVany, the team’s No. 1 player—who has been “shooting lights out” so far this year—played particularly well, shooting a 37, as well as Mike Dobbs, O’Reilly’s No. 2, who shot a 38.

But O’Reilly credited the entire team with putting in strong performances against Hunterdon.

“To come up with a 158, we would have beaten a lot of teams,” he said. “We played very well.”

The win may was, in a way, particularly poignant for the coach, who lost his father, Brian, last weekend. O’Reilly said his players came to the viewing and brought flowers.

“They’d been very kind in their consideration for me,” he said. “They certainly had me and my father in their thoughts.”

Brian O’Reilly was an avid golf fan, whose own love for the sport fueled his son’s, and always asked how the team was doing.

The coach said his father, if he was watching Moorestown’s match against Hunterdon, “would have been happy looking down on us that day,” adding with a chuckle, “My mother said he pushed one of Hunterdon Central’s putts out for us.”

With big wins against Hunterdon and Bishop Eustace in their first match, as well as a week two victory against Pemberton, O’Reilly expects Moorestown (3-0) to crack the top 20 when the new rankings come out.

That’s good for the team, not just because it helps their chances of making the state playoffs, but also because it could fuel future success.

“The kids want to go out there and practice more, because they see how close we are to greatness,” the coach said.

The team returns from spring break next week and will play in the Burlington County Open Monday at Little Mill Country Club in Marlton.