The Franklin Tech golf team is looking to build off a successful 2024 run.
The Eagles shared the Bi-County East title with Pioneer last year and in the postseason, took second as a team at the State Vocational Tournament and came in fourth as a team at the Western Mass. Div. 3 championship.
Mike Duclos is heading into his second year coaching Tech and with a strong returning core, the sky is the limit for the Eagles this fall, though he is taking it one day at a time.
“It’s a process but we have some good players,” Duclos said. “We have six kids who are brand new. We’ve been out there for almost two weeks and most of them have the concept down. It’s just about repetition. You have to play more and practice more to get better.”
Part of the reason for optimism is the top of the Tech lineup. Jack Day will serve as the Eagles’ No. 1, having placed second overall as an individual at the state vocational tournament a year ago as a freshman. Now a year older, Day has improved and will be looking to add more hardware this season.
Fellow sophomore Grady Deery is coming off a strong season and will be positioned at the top of the lineup. As will junior Braeden Talbot, the oldest player on the Franklin Tech squad who was also a key cog on the team last fall.
“We have a solid 1-2-3 punch,” Duclos said. “Braeden is our lone upperclassman. I’m looking forward to this season. We should be strong.”
Behind that trio is a host of returning sophomores who are looking to crack the lineup, while newcomers Colton Kingsbury and Mason Baker have impressed early.
“It’s always tough to predict how a season will go in golf,” Duclos said. “Our 1-2-3 is solid enough. It’s going to come down to our 4, 5, 6 players. If they can shoot bogey or better, we’ll make another run at the title. We’re hoping to compete better at Western Mass. The kids are a year older, they’re smarter, have experience and understand what it takes. I’m excited about the potential of these new kids.”
With leagues realigned, Franklin Tech will be competing with Pioneer, Athol, Smith Vocational, Mohawk Trail, McCann Tech, Westfield Tech, Hopkins and Turners in the Bi-County East. Frontier will play in the Suburban League alongside Amherst, Chicopee Comp, Belchertown, Hampshire, West Springfield, Ludlow and Southwick.
Here’s a closer look at each team:
ATHOL
Coach: Brian Patria
League/Division: Bi-County East/3
Last Year’s Record: 6-7
Roster: Ethan Heuer, Dominik St. Andre, Brandon Adams, Rafael Lopez, Owen Stoddard, Brody Brockney, Bradley Coleman
Outlook: Patria brought back the Bear program in 2023, building a team that did not have any prior golf experience.
Now three years in, Athol has joined the Bi-County East and has a group of golfers that have been competing for a few years now as Patria hopes to see his team take another step forward this fall.
Heuer qualified for Western Mass. as an individual last year and is the lone senior on the roster while Stoddard, a freshman, is another to keep an eye on for the Bears. St. Andre starts the year in the No. 2 spot while Lopez is another veteran on the roster.
FRANKLIN TECH
Coach: Mike Duclos
League/Division: Bi-County East/3
Last Year’s Record: 16-1
Roster: Jack Day, Grady Deery, Braeden Talbot, Aryon Hemingway, Johnny McIntyre, Evan Wright, Leo Musante, Adam Phillips, Josh Leonovich, Colton Kingsbury, Austin Smarr, Mason Vassar, Riley Ariel-Clough, Matt Guilbault, Mason Baker
FRONTIER
Coach: Dave Blanchette
League/Division: Suburban/2
Last Year’s Record: 12-5
Roster: Jacob Cornelison, Addy Wood, Braiden Dion, Tyler Galenski, Leland Murphy, Cameron Johnson, Jacob Tomlinson, Jamie McCarthy, Teddy McCarthy, Christian Powell, Brady Wood, Henry Callahan, Cameron McCaffrey
Outlook: The Redhawks were the co-champs of the Suburban League last year but now will have to compete in a remade Suburban League along with Amherst, Chicopee Comp, Belchertown, Hampshire, West Springfield, Ludlow and Southwick this fall in what should be a competitive division.
Frontier took sixth at the Western Mass. Div. 2 championship last fall but must replace Ryan Cetto, Cam Skiffington and Porter Hall at the top of the lineup.
Cornelison is the lone senior and will be making a move up the lineup while Addy Wood, Brady Wood and Powell are fellow returners to the lineup and are golfers Blanchette will rely on.
MOHAWK TRAIL
Coach: Sean Doyle
League/Division: Bi-County East/3
Last Year’s Record: 9-9
Roster: Sam Mizula, Conner Bergeron, Gus Foote, Joei Labelle, Cooper Morey, Dean Bardwell, Carter Bardwell, Carl Jernstrom, Xerxes Law, Jacob Richardson, Wyett Graves, Mason Gilbert
Outlook: After graduating nearly their entire lineup from a year ago, Doyle and the Warriors have a young squad that will look to build for the future.
Mizula is a returning junior who slots into the top of the lineup along with Bergeron, a freshman. The rest of the team is comprised of eighth and seventh graders, with Foote, Labelle and Morey impressing early. Mohawk Trail will co-op with Greenfield again this season, and play home matches at the Country Club of Greenfield.
PIONEER
Coach: Roy Emerson
League/Division: Bi-County East/3
Last Year’s Record: 9-4
Roster: Michael Cyhowski, Carter Gerry, Chayton Massa, Weston Jones, Tucker Aldrich, Parker Gerry, Liam Bassett, Noah Foote, Corbin Pease, Caleb Rinfret-Giallella, Brayden Parody
Outlook: After earning a share of the Bi-County East league title a year ago, the Panthers are in rebuild mode after graduating the majority of that squad.
Cyhowski is the veteran returner and will step into the top spot for Pioneer this fall. Carter Gerry, a sophomore, opens the season in the No. 2 spot, while eighth graders Parker Gerry, Foote and Aldrich have cracked the lineup. Parody, a seventh grader, has impressed for new head coach Emerson.
TURNERS
Coach: Artie Burke
League/Division: Bi-County East/3
Last Year’s Record: 5-6
Roster: Cam Cogswell, Rowan Deery, Andrew Eichorn, Ethan Eichorn, Brenna Guilbault, Liam Kerivan, Rhielle Reece, William Tyler
Outlook: Burke returns for his second year with eight players, led by Ethan Eichorn and Cogswell at the top.
Kerivan and Tyler started the season in the No. 3 and 4 spots while Andrew Eichorn and Deery started the season in the top six for the Thunder.