English golfers leave a lasting memory

The English High golf team saw its best season in years come to an end Monday in the Division 1 North sectional tournament held at Renaissance Golf Club in Haverhill.The Bulldogs qualified as a team for the first time since 1997and although they didn’t make the cut for the state tournament as a team or as individuals, the six seniors who have been the Bulldog backbone the past few years went out on a high note.Senior Matt Sencabaugh, who along with senior Mathieu Bruneau is a captain, has played in the No. 1 spot the past two years and has seen the way the team has steadily improved since his freshman year.?Coming into this year, we knew it would be special,” Sencabaugh said. “We’re the first (English High golf) team in 17 years to get to the state tournament. We’ve all formed a very strong team bond.”The Bulldogs made it into the tournament with a thrilling one-point win over Peabody last week. English coach Tara Friedman said her players have been “on cloud nine” since then. The only down side is that she’s losing six players to graduation.?We (she and assistant coach Jim Tidmarsh) are losing six people we’ve become very close to. It will be weird starting next season without them,” she said. “It’s sad to see them go.”Sophomore Chris Cole had the best round of the day for the Bulldogs, shooting a 93. Like Sencabaugh, he said this year’s team was special. Cole said the upperclassmen made the younger guys on the team feel comfortable from the start.?Last year, when we were freshmen, they really welcomed us to the team,” he said. “This year, they wanted to leave a lasting memory. “Cole said the team struggled a bit in the early going this season, but the seniors knew it was their last year playing high school golf and they really stepped it up to get the final four wins.Friedman said it was a tough start to the morning thanks to a 1 /1/2 hour frost delay. She said her players hit the course with ski caps, gloves and lots of layers. Cole concurred.?The first hour and a half it was really windy and cold,” Cole said. “The ball wasn’t traveling. We battled and about halfway through the sun came out and it warmed up a bit ? It was challenging playing through the elements, but everyone had a blast.”The Bulldogs (6-6) finished the sectional with a 394, good for 13th place. There were 15 teams. The winning team, Lincoln-Sudbury, had a score of 314. Lincoln-Sudbury, St. John’s Prep (316) and Central Catholic (327)will play in the states. Peabody also competed in Division 1 and finished in 10th place.