After strong performances throughout the regular season, including a pair of local league champions, the eyes of the high school golf world descend on the sectional championship tournaments over the next two days.
The WMass Division 3 tournament kicks things off this morning, as Franklin Tech leads the local contingent to the event, set for a 9 a.m. shotgun start at Agawam Municipal Golf Course. The Eagles were the lone Franklin County school to qualify for the Division 3 tourney, and after winning the Bi-County West title yet again after an undefeated 14-0 season, they’ve got their sights set on making another impressive statement on the big stage with the best of the best in Agawam.
Franklin Tech, which was the WMass runner-up two years ago, finished fifth in 2018. Last year’s team received a low round from Mike McGoldrick, who shot 89 to earn a tie for sixth place as an individual. The senior has impressed throughout the fall in the No. 1 spot, and closed out the regular season with back-to-back rounds in the 30s.
Sophomore Alex Sulda, senior Jacob Shaw and junior Ryan Artus have all been consistent scorers this fall for the Eagles, and will look to make their mark on the field in Agawam. Sophomore Anthony Zager has WMass tourney experience from a year ago, while Artus and Shaw also competed in the 2018 tournament. Nate Sciandra rounds out the six-member roster that will compete today for the Eagles.
“We did a practice round round on Friday to get familiar with the course,” said Franklin Tech coach Sean Knightly. “We did that to build some confidence. I don’t put a lot pressure on the kids at Western Mass. They were happy to get a round in, it calms their nerves down. Postseason is a new season.”
The field should be plenty competitive today. Defending champion Lee is in the mix and should be a squad to contend, while fellow Berkshire County squad Lenox sports top individual competitors in Brendan Hayden and Max Digrigolli.
Bi-County East champion Monson went 15-1 during the regular season and should compete with Mason Dumas and Aidan McMinn leading the way. Runner-up Ware is paced by standouts John Soltys and Doug Mulligan.
“It’s my job to create a relaxed atmosphere and I hope they do their best,” Knightly said of his team.
On Tuesday, Frontier Regional School will get its crack at a potential sectional title when the Red Hawks head to the Country Club of Pittsfield for the WMass Division 2 tourney.
After finishing second as a team last year, the experienced Red Hawks, which went undefeated in league play to win the Suburban West and wound up 13-1 overall this season, enter Tuesday’s event hoping to climb one more rung on the podium this time around.
“I think they’re ready to pick it up a notch and go to the next level,” offered Frontier coach Bill Fitzpatrick of his club. “They want to go in, play well and win the tournament. That’s the goal.”
Frontier finished second to WMass champion Hoosac Valley by six strokes a year ago. Competition for the Hawks should come from schools like Hoosac, South Hadley, Wahconah and Mount Greylock, but Fitzpatrick is hoping his troops can rely on their experience on the big stage, as the program has qualified for the WMass tourney for five consecutive years.
“We have a lot more experience than some of these other teams,” he said. “Four years ago, we finished dead last. Last year, we finished second. There’s that one step left.”
Junior Mikey Corduff headlines the Frontier competitors in the field. He and partner Kyle Maynard, also a junior, won the PVIAC Invitational Two-Ball earlier this month, and the duo will hopefully set the tone atop the Red Hawks lineup. Eighth-grader Gunnar Moore, seniors Porter Clancy and Bryan Baumann, and junior Rowan Blair round out the lineup in Tuesday’s tournament.
“We’re just going to go out and have fun,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m looking for my top three to score well and if I can get one of the bottom three to shoot in the low 80s, we should be in good shape.”
The top four scores count toward the team total.
Greenfield High School will join Frontier as a local qualifier in the Division 2 field after a stellar regular season that saw the Green Wave finish fourth in the Bi-County East with a 9-5 overall record.
Greenfield was seventh as a team at last year’s WMass tournament, and this year’s team is looking to improve upon that finish. Sophomore Ryan Cote had his team’s low round a year ago, shooting 86, and he’ll return looking to set the table yet again.
Seniors Gabe Larouche and Jake Cote, along with junior Danny Provost, all competed a year ago and are in Tuesday’s lineup. Sophomore Kris Bostrom and freshman Dylan Archer round out the six-member squad that will represent Greenfield in Pittsfield.
Hoosac’s Henry Sniezek is the defending individual champion, and he’ll be in the same pairing with Corduff that tees off No. 1.
Shotgun start is set for 10 a.m. in Pittsfield on Tuesday.