The North and South boys’ golf teams played on April 1, and North eked out the win by a single stroke, 209-210.
North finished 2013 at 11-4. All losses were close matches, and with strong senior leadership and then players from last year’s lineup returning, those losses could turn to wins.
Junior Kevin Murphy, who finished sixth in last year’s state tournament, is a key returner, as well as seniors James Nabial, Kento Wada, Zack Everett, Julian Castoro, Alvin Chen and Bobby Costa; and sophomores Bennett Perrine, Steve Boor and Patrick Zeoli.
“We have 10 players returning from last year’s team,” said head coach Mike Courtney. “Each saw a great deal of playing time last year, and they all love to play the game. We count on our seniors to share their experience, and we have a very strong group of sophomores and juniors who will keep them on their toes.”
Courtney said junior Tommy Weinmann put in a lot of work during the offseason and will see some action as the season progresses. Juniors Niket Hans, Rohan Pakianathan and Vishal Thadimari, sophomore Prasanth Yedlapalli and freshman Jeffrey Lee practice with the squad, and Courtney hopes to see them develop for next season and beyond.
The coach sees his squad challenging for the top spot in the Colonial Valley Conference.
The Pirates had a similar finish at 12-3. They were division champs last year and are looking for a repeat, though head coach Robert Schurtz would like to contend for conference, county, and state titles, but is not discounting key in-season tournaments — Cherry Valley on April 7, Galloway National Challenge on April 22, and the Raider Invitational at Royce Brook on April 28. Schurtz also wants to see his squad at the Tournament of Champions, where no player or team of his has ever qualified.
Four-year varsity team member and Rider University commit Jake Gurock is one of Schurtz’s key returners, as well as junior Tommy Hussong, who placed third in last season’s Mercer County Tournament.
Byron Chin is the varsity squad’s only freshman.
“Byron is a phenomenal talent, and a great young man,” Schurtz said. “He has shown the consistency and talent to be a top contributor for our varsity team. I look forward to him pushing our returning players and hopefully helping lead our team to new heights.”
