Young Golf Team Takes Aim At Postseason

By Andy Hutchison

This may not be a complete rebuilding year, but it certainly is a building year with an eye on the future for the Newtown High School golf team. The Nighthawks take the course at the Newtown Country Club with a lineup of freshmen, sophomores and juniors.

Among the graduates from last year’s 8-2-1 team is standout Stephen Oberstadt. A handful of golfers return to the lineup, but this is an overall youthful and inexperienced team with no seniors and six newcomers on the roster.

Returning players are junior captains Chris McCann and Kevin O’Connell. Juniors Paul Michaud, Zach Dhouly, Tony Varaco and Chris Caulfield are all back on the course.

Newcomers are juniors Herlof Sorensen, Tyler Davenport and Brad Biscoe; sophomores Doug Brodbeck and Christian Gregoire; and freshman Abbey Doski, the lone girl on the team.

Head Coach Jen Huettner said consistency, even dispositions and intelligence are strengths of this squad. Youth and lack of experience in match play, not to mention lack of time spent on opponents’ courses, will be areas that will challenge the Nighthawks.

Huettner’s goals are for the golfers to get better as the season progresses and to be competing in the postseason again.

“I want them to improve their games,” Huettner said. “The team goal is to make states again.”

Last year, Newtown was third in the South-West Conference and placed 17th in the Division I state tourney.

Tough teams are perennial SWC powers Pomperaug and Weston.

The season was scheduled to get underway Thursday against Joel Barlow at Redding Country Club (after The Bee went to press). Newtown will visit Weston on April 13 and host Pomperaug the next day.