Chase Marinell looked like he was headed to win his third straight title in the Nolan Henke/Patty Berg Junior Masters golf tournament at Cypress Lake Country Club Friday. Little did he know, his Bishop Verot High School classmate Jack Hernandez had other ideasl.

Marinell had a two-stroke lead heading into Friday’s final round and was the odds-on favorite to win it for the fourth time overall, third in a row. The Cape Coral resident shot a final-round 72 and had every chance to win the boys’ 16-18 division – except for Hernandez standing in his way.

The schoolmates were side-by-side in Friday’s final pairing, and traded swing for swing. Hernandez wasn’t to be denied. He was not afraid of the three-time champ and wound up turning in the low score of the tournament – 68 – when it counted the most.

It is payback for Hernandez since last year’s tournament ended the exact opposite. Marinell trailed Hernandez by two strokes heading into the final round and won with an amazing back-nine comeback capped by a championship-winning birdie putt on the first playoff hole.

This time Hernandez had the underdog role and erased a three-stroke deficit to win by one stroke with a 54-hole total of 212. Hernandez was determined to win this year in his last year of eligibility.

Hernandez carded rounds of 72-72-68 which was one better than Marinell’s 72-69-72-213.

Both are extremely talented players and set the stage for one of the most exciting finishes this tournament has seen. Even though it is their last appearance in this tournament, they hope to meet again down the road in their careers.

Marinell is planning on attending Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., while Hernandez is still undecided of his college future.

Cape Coral’s Jake Sherwin, last year’s boys’ 13-15 division winner, played well in his first time stepping up to the older division by shooting solid rounds of 74-75-76, giving him a tournament total of 225. With Hernandez and Marinell moving on, Sherwin could be the favorite next year.

Other Cape players in the 16-18 group included Bryr Austen (262), Josh Boguszewski (312), Dylan Hinkle (239), Kyle Schulte (241), Michael Faulkner (238), and Tyler Doyle (227).