LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield high school varsity golf team is cruising along this fall, winning its first seven matches and qualifying for the state tournament about as early as a team can.
That’s not really news as most seasons the Pioneers fall north of the .500 mark. But, what is news is that the program has added a junior varsity team this year, which also is thriving under its new coach, former Lynnfield High Principal Bob Cleary, who retired after 21 years at the helm in June.
Cleary said he is enjoying retirement and jumped at the opportunity to come on board as an assistant coach.
“It’s been relaxing, I mean, 30 years of being Pavlov’s dog when the bell rings and you jump up, so not having to answer to that and make my own day has been great,” Cleary said. “Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten to play much but coming here every day has been great. I find myself going back to my youth days and hearing (Thomson CC head professional) Bill Flynn giving all of us kids advice on your swing or stance, so basically I feel like I’m just repeating those fundamentals when the team is on the practice tee.”
Cleary’s connection to Lynnfield High goes well beyond being a former teacher and administrator. The 1979 graduate played on the varsity golf and basketball teams, serving as a golf captain as a senior. He also served stints as head coach of the girls basketball and volleyball teams and coached those sports at Masconomet, winning a state basketball championship in 1996.
In fact, leadership and golf talent run in the family; Cleary’s youngest sister, Lisa, also played on the team and served as a senior captain “back in the day.”
Cleary said this year’s team has a little bit of everything when it comes to skill level.
“We have a bunch of kids who are pretty new to the game and even some of our better golfers are only a couple of years into the game,” Cleary added. “Their whole attitude is learning to recognize the difference between a good shot and a bad shot. They are actually able to see their own progress and that’s good to see.”
Varsity coach Mike Moresco said he is grateful to the district for deciding to add an assistant coach.
“Last year, they saw the growth with 16 or 17 kids last year, so Lynnfield made the decision to fund an assistant coach last spring, so with Bob coming on this August and having so many kids try out – 23 in all – we could keep them all,” Moresco said. “We now had two sets of hands.”
The JV has six matches scheduled this year. Some of the matches include varsity kids on a space-available basis. The team practices Monday through Thursday at Sagamore Spring, its home course.
Moresco said most of the programs in the Cape Ann League are seeing significant growth in the number of kids who have been bitten by the golf bug.
“Once the season got rolling, the other coaches saw their numbers and a bunch of them reached out to Lynnfield for matches,” Moresco said. “It’s great because they will get to experience the bus rides as a team. The town and athletic director (Mia Muzio) told us they’d have buses for us and the kids get to play some great courses.”
Moresco said that many players on the JV team are still learning the ropes about the fundamentals and rules of the game and getting used to how to compete in matches.
“At least four of them came out with baseball grips and they don’t know how to mark a ball, so they are starting at the beginning. Bob has had some kids who came to him and said,”Wow, that interlocking grip you taught me is great,'” Moresco said. “Before I started coaching the team, I presumed they were all country club kids, but they are all trunk-slammers mostly. They are daytrippers, which is not the case for most of the teams we play.”
Senior Zac Benedetto started playing about six or seven years ago and said his average 9-hole score is down to 45. The strength of his game is his short game.
“Drive for show, putt and chip for dough,” Benedetto, who also plays hockey and lacrosse, said, adding he’s enjoyed getting to know Cleary.
“I didn’t really know him when he was the principal at the high school, which might be a good thing,” Benedetto said. “But now that he’s with the team, I’ve really gotten to know him. I know I can go to him for advice.”
Cleary said the Pioneers have some tough opponents ahead of them, including Essex Tech and North Reading.
But Moresco isn’t worried.
“I hesitate to say this, but we haven’t played our best golf so far, so that says a lot of the strength and depth of this team,” he said. “I think it’s the most competitive team I’ve ever had.”
Junior Drew Orlofski feels Cleary has been a huge addition for the program.
“Coach Cleary is doing a great job,” Orlofski said. “It’s great to have someone who knows a lot about the game having played it as a kid and worked in golf. He clearly knows what he’s talking about and we’re lucky to be able to go to him when we are struggling with something.”
