EAST PROVIDENCE — The East Providence High School golf team may not make the revamped 2023 Rhode Island Interscholastic League state championship tournament at the end of the month, but that doesn't mean the Townies will not have had a fine season.

EPHS improved to 9-3 so far this spring with an easy victory over visiting Rogers Monday afternoon, May 15, at the Townies' home layout, the Agawam Hunt Club. East Providence finished with a team total of 164 to the 230 of the Vikings.

"I'm very happy with our record. I'm very happy with how the kids are playing," said EPHS head coach Bill McEnery. "Shooting a 164 is pretty good. We're playing some good golf right now, much better than at the start of the season."

Nathan Carter continued his superb debut season for the locals, recording a 4-over, 39 on the par 35 front side of Agawam to end the nine holes as the day's medalist. He birdied two of his last three holes.

Zach Mendo's steadily improving play remained as he was next in with a 41, including a birdie at the par 5, 475-yard fourth hole. Billy Fitzgerald squeezed an eagle three on the par 5, fourth and a birdie on the par 3, 135-yard eighth into a 42. Freshman Noah Araujo also birdied the fourth and also finished with a 42 to record the final counting score for EP.

The Interscholastic League moved from a record/match-based qualification standard into the state tournament to one split between regular season results and a team's combined stroke average.

The winners of the five divisions around the state based on their match results during the regular season, as they have in the past, qualify for the two-day championship tournament May 30 and 31 at Cranston Country Club. Five more schools, reduced from 10 previously, will also qualify for the state tourney due to their scoring average for the season.

East Providence ended Monday in 12th place in the stroke average standings, some seven points and three spots behind the fifth and final qualifier Pilgrim. Both teams have one match remaining in their regular seasons.

East Providence plays in Portsmouth against the host Patriots with Bay View at Green Valley Country Club on Wednesday, May 17. Portsmouth, which has two matches left including Wednesday, sits directly behind Pilgrim in 10th and trails their fellow Pats by 1.2 points.

As many as 39 more players from schools that both made the event as a team and those that did not, again based on stroke average, will also earn spots into the state  individual tourney run concurrently with the team contest.

Carter, Fitzgerald and Mendo each have a realistic chance of representing EPHS as individuals.

"I'm proud of these kids. They've worked very hard.  Twelth in the state is pretty good. It is what it is if we don't get in as a team, but hopefully we'll get two or three individuals in," McEnery added.