After last year’s second-place finish in the Class 1A tournament, the St. Aloysius golf team was looking for redemption.

The Flashes got plenty of it in Monday’s first round at Beau Pre Country Club in Natchez, as they posted a tournament-best 319. Chris Ingram led the way with a 77, and teammate Nick Mekus was one stroke back at 78.

Cathedral’s Steve Scarborough eagled the par-5 18th hole and was tied for the medalist lead with Ingram and West Union’s Austin Bynum at 77.

Bynum is the defending state champion and Ingram won in 2009.

In the team standings, defending champion Cathedral is a distant second with a 342, while Ingomar is third with a 380.

“We can’t let up,” Mekus said. “We’ve got to keep pushing and win by as many strokes as we can. We want to help our three seniors get another state championship.”

The rest of the Flashes were on their games too. Will Burnett and Elliott Bexley both carded 82s, while Fisher Campbell shot an 89.

Bexley and Burnett were in fifth place. Cathedral’s Trevor Farmer was in fourth, with an 81.

Key for the Flashes was a couple of weekend practice rounds on Beau Pre’s par-72 layout, the last coming the day before the tournament.

Ingram said the practice rounds helped the Flashes gain a measure of confidence. Last year, the course played havoc with the Flashes, but now they feel they have the beast by the horns.

“It really helped us,” Ingram said. “I think the layout is really setting up well for us. We definitely know it a lot better. The greens are really tough, definitely lightning fast.”

Ingram made his push on the front nine, where he gained three strokes between holes three and eight with a few birdies. His one misstep in the round was a double bogey on 18 that, along with some great play by Scarborough, cost him the lead.

Scarborough hit a 4-iron to within 4 feet of the cup on the final hole, then tapped in the putt for an eagle and a four-shot swing.

Going into today’s final round, the Flashes hope to finish off the state championship and put themselves back at the pinnacle at the place where their dynasty was knocked off its perch. They had won three state team titles in a row before coming up short last year.

“We were pleased that we could go back to the same course,” Ingram said. “It would be redemption for us. It would definitely make a statement.”