NATCHEZ – The tournament was already a foregone conclusion. There would be no denouement in the Class 1A state championship golf tournament on Tuesday.

St. Aloysius, with an insurmountable lead in the overall standings, already had its name etched on the 2011 championship trophy at Beau Pré Country Club.

The final act in a play of redemption came down to a single 15-foot putt on No. 18. A sophomore whose round helped St. Al’s lead expand like a waistline at an all-you-can-eat buffet had center stage.

And he rose to the occasion.

Nick Mekus calmly drilled the putt to win medalist honors, defeating Cathedral’s Steve Scarborough by one stroke to pace St. Al to 36-stroke victory in the state championship. It is the school’s sixth golf title.

“I had my putter on and that’s what you have to do out here, because these greens are tough,” Mekus said. “I mostly hit my spots. I didn’t my irons well, but I didn’t put myself in any spots that would give me trouble. I definitely wanted to do my part and make sure our three seniors go out with a state championship.”

The final scores came down to a pair of teams — Cathedral and St. Al — that have dominated Class 1A golf in recent years. Since 2005, the rivalry has exerted a stranglehold on the championship.

Cathedral won two championships in a row to start the streak, while St. Al won the next three before being dethroned at Beau Pré last year.

Now the trophy is returning to Vicksburg and the Flashes feel a measure of redemption, winning the title at the scene of their last defeat as a team.

“In a two-year span, we’ve lost one match and that was the state championship last year,” St. Al coach Jim Taylor said. “That all speaks for itself how well the group has played. They’ve all complimented each other well. When one doesn’t play well, someone else always steps up.”

The Flashes totaled 638 in the two-day tournament. Cathedral finished second with a tally of 674, paced by Scarborough’s 153. Ingomar was third with a 758.

Chris Ingram, the 2009 medalist who shot a 77 to tie for the first-day lead with Scarborough and West Union’s Austin Bynum, was third with a total of 157.

“It was a 100-degree day and I was trying to build a snowman,” Ingram said of his 8-over 80 score. He quadruple-bogeyed the par-4 No. 6 after losing his ball in the rough and found the water on No. 15.

Also struggling was last year’s medalist Bynum, who fell out of contention with a 10-over 82.

Will Burnett was third on St. Al’s score sheet with a two-day tally of 161, while Elliott Bexley carded a 169 and Fisher Campbell finished with a 175.

The Flashes have made a habit of finding a different medalist in every tournament and Mekus quickly took the reins.

The sophomore jumped off to a solid start, birdieing No. 1 on his way to a 2-over 74. He overcame a double-bogey on No. 14 with his second shot on No. 15, which missed the hole by a foot. It started a late rally that allowed him to finish strong and hold off a surging Scarborough, who carded a 76 after an opening-round 77 on Monday.

“Nick is consistent, not rattled, in addition to being a great player,” Taylor said. “I’m looking forward to two more years with him.”

As for next year, the Flashes will return Mekus and Bexley and Taylor feels that the Flashes won’t be ceding their dominance on the links anytime soon.

“We’ve got some good young players coming up,” Taylor said. “I think we’re going to field a very competitive group next year.”