LYNN — These Bulldogs ate well.
The Lynn English golf team put on a show this fall, earning itself second place in the Greater Boston League with a 9-1-2 record (7 GBL wins). Coach Brett Molea was named GBL Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season, while Riley Driscoll captured the individual tournament championship.
“Having two years left of him, we are in a good spot,” Molea said of Driscoll. “He’s just a kid who loves the game and wants to get better every day, so I don’t even have to worry about him. He gets out there on his own and gets better.”
Tournament champions Driscoll (52 points), John Crowley (47), and AJ Lopez (30) were named GBL All-Stars.
“We try to harp on short games, chipping, and putting. A lot of those kids go out in their backyards at night, chipping and getting to the course for early putting,” Molea said. “So, it was a big improvement from the beginning of the season to now.”
Another strong performer, according to Molea, was Jacoby Comeau, who was undefeated before suffering from a broken wrist.
“He was 6-0 and he’s only a freshman out of English, so we have some young guys who I look forward to having for the next two years,” Molea said. “It’s just keeping that up through the offseason and coming back bigger and stronger next year.”
When asked about memorable moments and matches, Molea was quick to respond.
“We had two good matches with Lynn Classical. It’s a rivalry, so it always means something more. Coach Jack Morrison does a great job over there, so those were great,” he said. “And Medford – we’ve got to tip our cap to Medford. They had a great team this year, we snuck out a tie against them, and they were our only loss – so two good battles against them as well.
“One of the best moments this year was definitely qualifying for the state tournament – getting them on a course they had probably never been on before and getting to see what else is out there for Division 1,” Molea said. “We play in the GBL, which is the same five teams that you play every year, but when you get to go to the Division 1 tournament and play everybody else, it’s pretty special.”
And with a young group returning, memorable matches could keep coming English’s way.
“We had some injuries throughout the year. We had some next-guy-up mentality moments and that was huge because it built some confidence at the bottom of the lineup as well – just guys who usually don’t play and guys moving up to slots they usually don’t play in,” Molea said. “Hopefully, we can carry that over into next year.”
Crowley will be a tough loss, according to Molea, who believes his program can keep climbing if golfers play with a “competitive nature.
“Coming into next year, we only lose one senior: John Crowely. He’s our only senior, who will be missed,” Molea said. “We have done really well over the past two or three years, but it’s about not being complacent with that and coming back bigger, stronger, and better so we can win those matches in the league.”
NOTABLE RECORDS
Chris Boyd – 6-4-2
Jacoby Comeau – 6-0-1
John Crowley – 6-6
Riley Driscoll – 8-1-1
Kyle Furlong – 9-1-2
AJ Lopez – 9-2-1
Joseph Plourde Jr. – 8-1-2
Owen Finn is a student at Endicott College studying journalism
