Mercury 2018 Boys Golf Preview
Boyertown
Head coach: Mark Takacs, 31st season.
Home course: Hickory Valley
Last year’s record: 3-7 Pioneer Athletic Conference, 3-7 overall.
Outlook: The Bears’ last district qualifier came in 2015, which, coincidentally, was Boyertown’s last winning season. Boyertown ended last season winning two of their final three, their last match of the year coming down to a tie-break criteria where they were edged by Phoenixville by a single stroke. They’ll look to keep that momentum going into 2018.
Daniel Boone
Head coach: Rich Simmons, fourth season.
Home course: Arrowhead Golf Course (Blue)
Last year’s record: 3-10 Berks Golf League, 4-10 overall.
Players to watch: Seniors: Ben Sjosten, Evan Pingitore, Jenna McGill; Junior: Teagan Duffie; Sophomores: Colton Yenser, Kyle Vonderlinden, Chase Ring.
Outlook: Yenser picked up plenty of experience as a freshman and returns at the top of the card for a Blazer team that hasn’t posted a winning season since 2008. Simmons has plenty of confidence in Yenser and believes the youth will give the program plenty to look forward to this season. “He played as our No. 1 last year as a freshman and competed well against all the No. 1 players,” Simmons said of Yenser. “We’re a young team looking to be competitive.”
Hill School
Head coach: Joe Lagor, eighth season.
Home course: Brookside Country Club
Last year’s record: 10-3 overall (2017 Keystone Cup Champions).
Players to watch: Seniors: JP Irizarry, Joel Crooks, Cam Miller. Juniors: Echo Wu, Nick Lu, Stephen Chen, Billy Gussler.
Outlook: The two-time defending Keystone Cup champions head into the 2018 season with plenty of experience back in the mix. Gussler will likely play in the top spot after a strong summer in which he captured the Kentucky Junior Amateur Championship while Wu will look to get back to the form that brought him plenty of success as a freshman. The Blues will also welcome newcomers Nick Rafetto, Will Medendorp and Graham Eilberg.
Methacton
Head coach: Kevin Flanagan, 12th season.
Home course: Skippack Golf Club
Last year’s record: 9-1 PAC, 10-2 overall (PAC runner-up).
Players to watch: Seniors: Aj Thomas, Dylan Lasecki, Andrew Catania, John Haley; Juniors: Nick Martin, Mitch Thompson.
Outlook: Methacton’s four-year run at the top of the conference came to a finish last fall after Spring-Ford claimed the PAC Team Championship. Gone are district qualifiers Christian Rossi and John Cooper, though the Warriors return a slew of experienced varsity players. Methacton will also welcome some inner-competition among sophomores Jeff Cooper, Jason Rieger and Sean Cooper, all vying for varsity spots. “Senior John Haley will take on a more solidified varsity role this year and Juniors Nick Martin and Mitch Thompson will be relied on heavily as the year progresses,” said Flanagan. “We hope to continue our success and make the final four and compete for a PAC Championship.”
Norristown
Head coach: Ian Morris, 14th season.
Home course: Jeffersonville Golf Club.
Last year’s record: 2-8 PAC, 2-8 overall.
Players to watch: Caleb Ryan, Sr.; Josh Ryan, So.
Outlook: The Ryan brothers were must-see action in 2017 and that won’t change a year later. Both shined in the individual postseason, where Caleb Ryan capped the year with a 19th overall finish at the PIAA Championship while Josh finished tied for 23rd overall in his first try at states. Coming off strong summer play, both Ryan brothers should find themselves in the running for the area’s top player.
Owen J. Roberts
Head coach: Ted Snyder, 19th season.
Home course: Kimberton Golf Club
Last year’s record: 8-2 PAC, 10-3 overall (PAC Final Four semifinalist).
Players to watch: Seniors: Ryan Glenn, Nick Massa, Jack Murray; Juniors: Conrad Benford, Sam Diehl.
Outlook: Despite the loss of their top golfer — PIAA Championship qualifier Ward McHenry — the Wildcats are stacked with experienced upperclassmen returning to the course. Home-course advantage was a real thing for OJR last season with the Wildcats finishing 7-0 at Kimberton during regular season play. OJR has made the PAC Final Four team playoffs each of the past four seasons, including a runner-up finish in 2015. “We hope to make the Final Four,” said Snyder.
Perkiomen Valley
Head coach: Tavio Hunsicker, fifth season.
Home course: Raven’s Claw Golf Club.
Last year’s record: 5-5 PAC, 6-7 overall.
Players to watch: Seniors: Andrew Burkhardt, Curran Bono, Gabe Yackanicz; Junior: Kyle Colombo.
Outlook: The Vikings will look to reload following the graduation of district qualifier Andrew Giorgi at the top of the scorecard along with Colin Leary and Christian Riehs. Perk Valley last earned a berth in the PAC Final Four team playoffs in 2014, having finished in fifth place two of the last three seasons. “Our goal is to improve throughout the season and we hope to be competitive in every match,” said Hunsicker. “The league will be very competitive again this year.”
Phoenixville
Head coach: Steve Winnick, 17th season
Home course: Pickering Valley Golf Course
Last year’s record: 5-5 PAC, 5-7 overall.
Players to watch: Senior: J.T. Sinnott, Mitchell Schwartz; Sophomore: Kyle Resuta.
Outlook: The Phantoms finished the past two regular seasons just on the outside of reaching the PAC Final Four playoffs. Phoenixville claimed all of their winnable matches last season, ending the year by winning five of their final six after a brutal 1-4 start to the year. With a handful of varsity-experienced players returning, Phoenixville should be in for a solid campaign. “We’re a team that needs to improve to be competitive against the top teams in the league,” said Winnick. “We’re hoping that the returning core group could win enough matches to get into the Final Four Playoffs.”
Pope John Paul II
Head coach: N/A
Home course: Gilbertsville Golf Course
Last year’s record: 8-2 PAC, 8-3 overall (PAC Final Four semifinalist).
Players to watch: Ethan Slover, Sr.
Outlook: The Golden Panthers have lost to Methacton the last three seasons in the semifinal round of the PAC Final Four playoffs. PJP graduated four key contributors from last year’s squad, including three-year captain J.T. Spina, who had competed at the PIAA Championships three times during his scholastic career.
Pottsgrove
Head coach: Don Petrella, 10th season
Home course: Gilbertsville Golf Course
Last year’s record: 2-8 PAC, 2-9 overall.
Players to watch: Cameron Mowery, Jinsok Kraybill, Lucas Stringer, Brett Pennington, Josh Keppley, Dylan Higgins.
Outlook: Plenty of optimism surrounds a Falcon program that’s picked up six wins in the past four seasons. At the top of the card will be Mowery and Kraybill, experienced players on a senior-laden team. “Cameron Mowery is our senior captain and is ready to lead our team both on and off the course,” said Petrella. “I think this will be our best team in some time.”
Spring-Ford
Head coach: Jeff Mast, 32nd season.
Home course: Turtle Creek Golf Course
Last year’s record: 9-1, 11-2 overall (PAC champions).
Players to watch: Josh Brauer, Drew Clifford, Axel Kolbach, Steven Stumpo, Nate Pierce, George Wicks, Luke Watson.
Outlook: The Rams finally unseated four-time defending champ Methacton last fall in the PAC Championship match with an overall team score that combined for 3-over par. Gone from that team are two-time All-Area Player of the Year Ben Pochet along with All-Area honorees Jack Straub and Drew Fuhrman. Although it’s a big hit at the top of the scorecard, Mast believes the experience gained last season should go a long way considering the team had lost seven members the year prior. “We lost three outstanding players from last year’s team,” he said. “We have six varsity golfers back and hope to be competitive. Our goal is to work hard and improve throughout the season.”
Upper Merion
Head coach: James Baxter, 10th season.
Home course: Gulph Mills and Westover.
Last year’s record: 0-10 PAC, 0-10 overall.
Players to watch: Mike Strycharz, Sr.
Outlook: The Vikings’ transition from the Suburban One League to the PAC hasn’t been all that pleasant. Upper Merion is 0-20 in regular season matches since making the move in 2016. Gone from last year’s squad is Brandon Higgins while Strycharz will look to step into the ace role.
Upper Perkiomen
Head coach: John Brittain, 17th season.
Home course: Macoby Run Golf Course
Last year’s record: 4-6 PAC, 5-6 overall.
Players to watch: Seniors: Macauley Swenk, Brett Miller, Deion Doperak; Junior: Zach Rozanski; Sophomores: Soren Svanson, Zach Gehman.
Outlook: The Tribe hasn’t had a district qualifier since Drew Kriebel finished third overall in the PAC Championship back in 2014. This year, however, looks plenty promising for Upper Perk, which returns four experienced players and finished 3-2 at home last fall. “We hope to bridge the gap a bit this season,” said Brittain. “I believe we can be competitive with most of the teams in the PAC. The top teams in our league are great.”
