Dylan Springett suspected before the season started that the Ewing High School golf team would be improved this year. He never envisioned it being this good.
“It’s a lot better than I expected based on previous years,” said the senior. “It has amazed me how well the team has done as a unit. When someone has maybe not their best round other people step up and have a good round. It’s been good being able to win as a team. It’s different, but it definitely feels good.”
Ewing has opened eyes this year with one of its best seasons in program history. The Blue Devils won their first nine matches of the season to seal a berth in the Central/South, Group 2 state tournament at Running Deer Golf Course in Pittsgrove. Springett and his brother, Chase, who is a junior, qualified for sectionals individually last year.
“It’s definitely more comfortable going with people you know,” Springett said. “Last year, it was just me and my brother there and you don’t know a lot of people. This year we have a little bit of a support group around us and it feels a lot better going as a team. It makes you feel more proud and you have more pride in your school being able to go as a team.”
Teams qualify for sectionals by winning 60 percent of their matches by the state cutoff date. Ewing went 10-7 overall this season with a senior-heavy team. In addition to Springett, George D’Angelo, Reese Hunt, Elton Patenaude and Maguire Winsor are seniors. Chase is the only junior on the team.
“It’s definitely great that in their senior year they’re going to get to go to the state tournament as a team and compete there as a team together,” said Ewing head coach Brandon Parry. “I’d say it was a goal of ours, one of the higher goals, and to make it no-doubt-about-it by starting 9-0, we secured that about as early as we possibly could. That was cool for me to see them do it.”
Parry was an assistant when the current seniors were freshmen before taking over for former coach Mike Reynolds the next season. In his three years as head coach, Parry has seen them grow into a strong group that has keyed a memorable season for Ewing.
“We’ve had this core of kids for basically four years,” Parry said. “Chase and Dylan are my two best golfers and they’ve been great all year. The other guys have played well at times and we’ve also been the recipient of some good fortune. All the elements you need to have a successful season fell in place for us this year. It’s a combination of playing well and getting good bounces.”
The rise of the rest of the group has significantly impacted the success of this year’s team. They have filled in a hole that had cost the Blue Devils in past years.
“Every year, we had one or two players that would shoot well, and it would be hard to finish off teams because of the back end of our team has not been as strong,” Springett said. “This year, we’ve been able to round out the scores at the end. The higher scores, we’ve been able to bring them down a little bit so we can finish off other teams.”
‘It’s nice to see the other kids on the team see some success and be happy how the team is doing.’
Springett said that Winsor, who was with the team sophomore year but did not play as a junior, came back this year and helped to provide the team with some lower scores.
The Blue Devils’ early results gave them a kick start. It showed Ewing that it had the potential to have a big year.
“In that start, we got some wins against some teams that historically have been very strong,” Parry said.
The team beat Northern Burlington by two strokes at their home course, and Notre Dame at Mountain View. They defeated Robbinsville on a day they didn’t play particularly well, but had some good fortune.
“We were able to beat some teams that have some pretty good records,” Parry said. “We also played pretty well at the county tournament. We came in seventh overall, and when you separate the private schools and parochial schools ahead of us, there weren’t too many CVC schools who beat us at the county tournament. We have put together some pretty strong rounds this year.”
The team’s a seventh-place finish at the Mercer County Tournament was one of the highest finishes in Blue Devils history in a county known for outstanding teams.
“The start of the season was a dream,” Springett said. “Counties, we all played pretty well. It was nice to post a pretty good score. In previous years, it’s been a little embarrassing. We held our own as a public school being in an area where Ewing is a basketball school, so going in and playing well in the counties is something we’re proud of.”
Parry pointed out that the team was ahead of Princeton and West Windsor North at the county tournament. “That was pretty impressive for us. Seventh has been our highest since I’ve been the coach.”
Springett tied for sixth at the county meet with a 79, and would have been even higher without a double bogey on the final hole. It’s been another good year for Springett, who is headed to the University of South Carolina, where he is contemplating walking on the golf team after his freshman year. He and his brother didn’t start playing competitive tournaments until Sptingett got to high school. Golf has always been his top sport, and he’s improved each year.
“I worked on consistency and more mental game than anything this year,” Springett said. “Being a junior last year, I was more nervous than this year. Having a team that was winning helped calm me down because I didn’t have to rely on my score solely to get me into sectionals. I could be more carefree and just try to play my best and not worry about it.”
Having experience throughout the lineup was a big benefit, and the team will try to maintain its success in the future, despite the fact that five of its six top golfers will be graduating this year.
“We’re not a particularly deep team,” Parry said. “Some of the other schools can roll out seven or eight golfers and change their lineups up. We pretty much roll the same six golfers every match. From week to week, it’s been someone else who has stepped up.”
Springett said he was happy to do his part, and led the team to a satisfying ending in his final season of high school golf.
“More than anything, I’m happy for the other kids on the team that haven’t been able to see any success,” Springett said. “Individually, I’ve done pretty well so I haven’t been disappointed with how I’ve played in high school, but it’s nice to see the other kids on the team see some success and be happy how the team is doing.”
Senior Dylan Springett helped lead the boys’ golf team to one of the best records in program history.,
