Smith, Debusschere keep Strath Haven on line for Central League title
NETHER PROVIDENCE — Three seasons ago, Kevin Smith had a pretty good idea of the potential that Strath Haven’s golf future contained.
He saw the group of freshmen he entered school with, a contingent that would have time to grow. He knew his younger sister, Grace, was a pretty good golfer waiting in the wings. He knew of the talent in the Debusschere family – Jackson, a year younger than Kevin Smith, and Tyler, two years’ Jackson’s junior.
“We knew we had a pretty good group of kids and we were only going to get better as the years went by,” Kevin Smith said. “We all worked pretty hard over the freshman, sophomore and junior years. The work’s paying off. Our goal this year was to win every match and make the Central Leagues and try to win districts and go from there.”
Kevin Smith’s last home match at The Springhaven Club Wednesday brought the Panthers a 195-217 win over Haverford, their 10th league win to clinch at least a share of the program’s first Central League crown. The Panthers (12-0 overall) can close out a perfect league season Thursday at Garnet Valley.
It’s the first time since at least 2003 that a team other than Conestoga or Radnor won the league title. The fulfillment of a dream long in the works.
Three of Strath Haven’s five scorers Wednesday were seniors. Kevin Smith led the way with a 38, with a birdie at the second hole. Nick Cardow birdied the third for a 40. And David Merz sank a putt for birdie on the par-5 eighth hole, just in sight of the legion of family and friends gathered with posters for senior commemoration, to finish with a 39.
“It feels good,” Merz said. “I had a tough hole on seven, then eight I got on, hit the putt for birdie and I got a lot of confidence coming in for nine. It’s my last round here, so it means a lot.”
Jackson Debusschere tied Kevin Smith’s 38, and Grace Smith added a 40. The effort was characteristic of the balance the Panthers have used all season, not getting the edge on opponents with one low scorer but a diverse group of scorers. Strath Haven’s sixth finisher, Thomas Sullivan, carded a 42, which was lower than Haverford’s second-best scorer.
Even when coach Kevin Kochersperger switched up the pairings Wednesday – the Smiths usually play together, but Kevin played with fellow senior Alex Lombard (45) – the Panthers still got scorers from four pairings, a testament to their depth.
That’s what led them past Conestoga and Harriton this year, the ability to limit mistakes and stay within a few shots of par to capitalize when others fall back.
“It shows that we have depth,” Kevin Smith said. “Even when teams have us and it’s close with two groups coming in, we’re confident with the last two spots because they’re pretty tough to beat.”
The home course provided an edge. Springhaven’s par-35 front nine isn’t the longest layout, but the greens are fast, the pin placements can be tricky and the punishment for missing greens and fairways are steep, as the Fords showed.
Even Haverford’s top scorer, Riley Quartermain, left lamenting a few shots on her first trip to Springhaven. She tallied six pars for a team-best 38 but struggled on the greens to maximize her score, finishing without a birdie.
Case in point was the par-3 sixth, in which Quartermain hit a superb iron off the tee that lifted over the water hazard to within five feet of the stick. But her downhill put skittered just wide, forcing her to settle for par.
“It was definitely shorter and narrow,” Quartermain said of Springhaven. “It was hard for me because I’ve never played it before so I didn’t know what shots to hit off the tee. I just guessed what to do, and sometimes it worked out, and sometimes it didn’t.”
Andrew Damico and Nicky Trolio tallied 44s for the Fords. Andrew Lord added a 45, and Liam Hempel had a 46.
Quartermain and her teammates knew what Strath Haven had to play for Wednesday, but try as they might, they couldn’t play spoiler.
“We were all aware of it,” she said. “We all really wanted to beat them, but they’re just the better team. That’s what it came down to.”
The emphasis, Merz would say, is on “team,” whether it’s the guidance given within a pairing or little pick-me-ups shared in passing from green to tee box on course. That’s what has driven the quest for a first Strath Haven golf banner to be hung at the school, one that is still tough to put into words.
“It’s hard to understand what it’s going to feel like, because the golf team has never won the Central League,” Merz said. “I think we’re making a statement that Strath Haven means business.”
In nonleague action:
Haverford School 188, Radnor 208 >> Charlie Baker, Jack Maddaloni and Tyler Zimmer each carded 37s at Merion West’s par-35 layout to lead the Fords to a win. Haverford School had its top seven scorers at 40 or lower.
Alec Stern tallied a 38, and Lachie Alexander and Ed Trumpbour added 39s.
Chase Stefano led Radnor with a 38. Luke Kelly check in with a 40.
