DANVERS — Just like that, we are in the midst of another golf season, and that means powerhouse St. John’s Prep is back to, hopefully, climb one more step.
Last year, the Eagles finished second in the MIAA Division 1 state championship, which left a bitter taste in their mouths.
“We, as a team, are very focused on a couple of things: the Cape Cod Invitational Tournament this upcoming Sunday where we will be bringing the trophy back as defending champions, so the team really wants to defend that title,” said coach Brian Jasiak. “They, also, not only want to qualify for sectionals, but play well and advance to the state title.”
Golf is widely-considered an individual game, but for this team, it’s a group effort from the first to the 10th guy.
“All 10 guys on the team are very focused on setting ourselves up, competing well in these tournaments, and competing for the state championship, so they are all engaged and know what they need to work on individually to get there as a team,” Jasiak said. “We have two new captains this year: Tripp Hollister and Brian Loughlin. Their leadership has been impressive from the beginning – just making sure the team is ready to compete. We have only had three matches so far. We have four this week and three next week, so a bulk of our season will be more than halfway done at the end of next week. Each of the 10 guys have had great matches and great scores, but it is early and we have had a couple of under-par rounds already.”
Speaking of this week, Monday came with a win against Catholic Memorial in which The Prep “shot really well,” according to its coach.
“So far, almost all 10 guys have shot around even-par on a given match, so I am looking forward to those matches upcoming,” Jasiak said. “It’s still early in the season, but there has been good leadership and focus.”
One thing about sports, however, is that there is always room for improvement.
“It’s just about getting better each and every round. It’s not going to be the perfect round, but someone might shoot a 2-over par, they might three-putt, or they pick the wrong club choice on a certain hole, so I think it’s just about preparing for each match and doing a course walkthrough in their minds on what club they want to use on each hole of the tee and sticking to a plan and not really chasing a score, and really let their games contribute to the conditions they are facing,” Jasiak said. “So, I think they are all realizing that as we go. Just preparing [for] each individual match will get us better down the road.”
This team has its eyes set on something much bigger than second place, according to Jasiak.
“The goal this season is to compete for the state championship. I think it’s the same as any team in our conference, the Catholic Conference, which is very competitive and that’s the state championship,” he said. “So, heavy goals as our program, but that’s what’s exciting about varsity golf at St. John’s Prep.”
As they say, one step at a time. The Eagles look to repeat as Cape Cod Invitational champions this Sunday.
Roster
Tripp Hollister
AJ Bodnar
Seamus O’Holleran
Jack Moriarty
Cole Cullen
Brian Loughlin
Zach Enners
Seamus Cullen
Dominic Meyers
Owen Finn is a student at Endicott College studying journalism
