Golf Program Adds JV Team, Depth

By Andy Hutchison

Bill Flood, Newtown High School’s boys’ golf coach, could not be more excited for the future of the program. The second-year coach, after all, now has a junior varsity team — meaning that future varsity players stand to emerge with more experience and skill than ever before. That should equate to success, Flood believes.

“It’s going to be a great training ground for my varsity team, which is going to just make us — every year — at the top of the conference. That was the piece that was missing last year,” said Flood, whose Nighthawks finished fourth in the South-West Conference a season ago.

Flood anticipates top-three SWC finishes year in and year out going forward. A championship might not be too far down the road either, but this year stands to be ultrachallenging, with a loaded Pomperaug of Southbury team at the top of the SWC mountain, according to the NHS coach. “I think they’re loaded from head to toe,” Flood said.

Weston, in the early going, can be considered a favorite for the No. 2 slot, but Flood thinks his team can overcome its rivals and battle for the second spot. “I think we can compete with Weston.”

“I think we can sneak up on a lot of teams because we are deep. Deeper than I was last year,” said Flood, the head golf professional at the team’s home course at Rock Ridge Country Club.

The Nighthawks, after all, have several newcomers in the program with the JV team in the fold.

The varsity captains are seniors Brian LeBlanc and Rob Marona, along with junior Chris Erikson. Seniors Mike Mossbarger and Abbey Doski, juniors Stephen Rahr and Ryan Palmer, sophomore Vivek Tedla, and freshman Alister Sore round out the varsity lineup, although some of the JV golfers stand to get some varsity playing time, the Newtown coach says.

Doski, who competes on the boys’ team since there is no girls’ golf program at NHS, is the three-time champion in the SWC girls’ tourney. Flood notes that she could become the first golfer in the conference to capture the championship in all four years.

Flood considers LeBlanc and Marona to be a “pretty good one and two combo” at the top of the lineup. He expects good things from the other Nighthawk competitors, including Sore, who has left a big impression on Flood and varsity assistant Jeremy O’Connell.

Newtown won 11 of 16 matches a year ago, and Flood expects plenty of wins but for it to be a little challenging.

The Nighthawks were scheduled to get the season underway on Wednesday (after The Bee sports section went to press) against Masuk at Whitney Farms Golf Course in Monroe. The Hawks will visit Notre Dame-Fairfield on Friday, April 6, and will “visit” Bethel, which also calls Rock Ridge home, on April 10. The first official home match is an April 11 clash with New Milford. Pomperaug and Weston visit for back to back matches, April 16 and 18.

The junior varsity squad, which will play six matches and is coached by Rock Ridge Assistant Golf Pro Sonny Grosso, includes Tommy Gleason, Jimmy Widmann, Ryan Nathenson, Tommy Rahr, and Jared Tannanbaum.