Golf Is As Big At Falmouth As Any Other Sport

It may not be the first sport that comes to mind when you think of high school athletics, but golf is as big at Falmouth as any other sport. And like most other sports at the high school, the team is very successful. Halfway through the 2010 season, the squad is 6-3 on right on track for a postseason berth.

“We have had a great year to this point,” says head coach Rich Mason. “They have responded well to everything and I am happy where we are at the halfway point.”

Golf has a 16-game schedule, and you must have at least a .500 record at the end of the season to make the postseason tournament.

“My goal was to make the postseason, and we’re right on track to do it,” says Mason. “But if we play to our potential, we could do even better.”

The team is a blend of youth and experience with four seniors, one junior and four sophomores making up the squad’s top nine players. Eight play in a varsity match.

Senior co-captains Andrew Kelly and Griffin Guerin both return from last season and will be counted on to be team leaders both on and off the course this year. Other seniors are P.J. Moore, who is playing his first season with the varsity, and Kevin Robinson, who has seen varsity action each of the last two seasons.

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Junior Justin Taylor is in his third year with the varsity.

Last season, Durham Ghelfi, then a freshman, saw time with the varsity. Now a sophomore, Ghelfi is “one of the top two players” according to Mason. Other starting sophomores are Sean Dugas and Matt Kinchla. Ryan Lino has also seen some time with the varsity unit.

Falmouth needs just two more wins to qualify for the postseason and Mason is confident his squad will be able to do that. “I think we have a great shot at making the tournament again this year,” says Mason. “Unless something drastic happens, I expect that we will.”

Three of Falmouth’s final five matches are on the road. Going on the road provides a unique challenge in golf.

“For the most part, the tennis court is a tennis court and a football field is a football field,” says Mason. “But in golf, each course is unique and many teams have great home course advantages. One in particular he mentioned as an advantage is Sandwich, who beat Falmouth there last week.

“That is a very tough course and those kids know how to play it well,” he says.

Mason, is in his fourth year as the varsity head coach, missed the postseason his first year but made it each of the last two and says it’s all about hitting your stride at the right time of the season.

“You want to be hot at the end of the season, which for golf is the middle of October,” he says. “You want to play well all year, but it doesn’t do you much good at the end if you start hot, but finish cold.”

One thing the coach points out that can lead to an end-of-year slump is burnout since many of the Clippers play a lot of golf in the summer and then come right into the school year and start back up. Whenever possible, Mason tries to make up for that. “Fridays we try to do some light practices,” he says. “We just go out there and hit some balls, and have putting contests and that sort of thing.”

While there is no official junior varsity program, Mason keeps as many kids as possible on the squad all season. However, he couldn’t do that without some help, since there is no official JV coach. “I rely on volunteers like Peter Kallagher, a teacher at the Lawrence School, to come out and help,” says Mason. “I also have great support from the parents.”

Anything can happen in the final half of the season, but it looks as though Falmouth is in great shape to make the post season. “We are hoping to be playing our best golf of the year going into the playoffs,” says Mason. “But this is just a great group of kids. I enjoy coaching them; no headaches at all.”

Falmouth is home Thursday against D-Y.

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Tags: Andrew Kelly, Falmouth, Griffin Guerin

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