They say defending a title is harder than winning one. Jack Stoddard and his DHS boys’ golf team got that chance Tuesday after the Clipper had gone to press.

Led by Jonathan Stoddard’s 74, the Dragons coasted to a 9-shot win over Dennis-Yarmouth to capture the Division II South Sectional championship last Wednesday at the Marshfield Country Club. Both schools qualified to advance to Tuesday’s state championship at the Pocasset Golf Club in Bourne.

When Stoddard came off the course and his 74 (4 birdies) went up on the board, the Dragons were sitting with a 14-stroke lead over the early finishers. While that monstrous lead didn’t hold up for the rest of the afternoon, it was a good sign for Duxbury that there was plenty of room for other members of the team not to have to play under pressure.

But knowing the importance of staying in front of D-Y (Josh Moore/73), the rest of the team came through, as Nick Drago (75/one birdie) and James Magner (79/one birdie) broke 80 and also earned themselves a slot in the individual championship.

Also scoring for the Dragons was Kevin Kuckuk (81/one birdie), Cam Daley (81/one birdie), and Stephan Krall (84/one birdie), who made an incredible recovery after a rough front nine.

Other schools in the competition included: Falmouth and Silver Lake (323), Hingham (337), Dighton-Rehoboth (338), Martha’s Vineyard (341), Case (379), and Mashpee (382).

There were 15 teams in Tuesday’s finals.