MONTICELLO –The Monticello Panthers and Port Jervis Raiders took to The Monster for a beautiful day of golf.

The Panthers came away with the victory on their new home course, defeating Port Jervis 248-269. The loss dropped Port Jervis to 1-4.

Monticello’s Ishaan Padhiar led the field with the lowest round of the match, shooting a 45. Teammate Landin Raynor wasn’t far behind, finishing with a 47 to help the Panthers secure the 21-stroke victory.

Beyond the win, Monticello coach Chris Russo has plenty of reasons for optimism this season. The Panthers have 11 golfers on the roster, their largest turnout in more than 15 years, while the move of the golf season to the fall has opened the door for more athletes to participate.

“We’re excited to be at The Monster this year. It’s a fantastic course and the people here are amazing,” Russo said. “We have eleven golfers, which is the most we’ve had in over 15 years. It’s nice to have some guys in the sport.”

Russo said the fall schedule has also given the team an opportunity to get onto the course immediately while attracting athletes who previously had conflicts during the spring season.