Boys golf finishes season strong

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Photo by Mitch Hunter

Senior Max Hunter swings the club as he smacks the ball down the fairway.

Emma Figlewicz, Entertainment Editor

With a 7-5 record in dual matches, the boys golf team finished off their season with a 6th place finish at the regional championship.

Since we weren’t even sure if we were going to have a state series heading into the season, our main goal was to earn a record as one of the top teams in the conference going into the conference tournament,” Darren Kobliskia, head coach, said.

 The teams from around the area have given the boys some tough competition this year, including Oswego East who defeated them on Senior Night, and Plainfield North. 

 ”Plainfield North was our toughest opponent in our conference this year.  They had a solid group of seniors that played well throughout the entire season.  The team eventually won the conference championship and the regional championship,” Kobliska said. 

Compared to other sports, golf has not experienced much change with new Covid restrictions.

“We are very fortunate to have golf green-lighted as a fall sport. We obviously had to maintain social distancing and wear masks throughout the season, other than that nothing changed that much,” Ashton Mutnansky, senior, said.

The key to a successful season is the attitude and drive the team sets forward.

“Our team excels in a positive mental attitude. We’re always picking each other up when we are down and we raise each other higher when we play well,” Max Hunter, senior, said.

The brotherly environment the team brings is a vital aspect to the success of the players.

“Nothing makes a good or bad day better when you know the team has your back,” senior, Luciano Blandino, said.

With golf not being as popular as other sports such as football and baseball, there are many misconceptions about the sport.

“People think it is an easy sport. Golf is a mental game. If your mentality is not in the right place during your game, you will not play well. In addition, golf can be physical at times also. When you are playing you need to hit a draw to get the ball to the green and have to make the slightest correction in your swing to accomplish it,” Jake Ramey, senior, said.

Although the sport can put up these challenges, players still find the positives the sport offers.

“Golf is a game within a game to me. You play to beat other schools and play to beat yourself every time you start a new round,” Chris Suchoski, junior, said.

With the 2020 season wrapped up, Kobliska reflects on the season as a huge success.

“We finished with a record of .500 in conference.  Our seniors only won one match as freshmen and to see how dedicated they’ve been throughout the past several years, and to see how much they’ve improved, to end their senior season with a .500 record is a huge accomplishment that they should be proud of,” Kobliska said.