Golf Team Looks For Another Strong Campaign
Golf Team Looks For Another Strong Campaign
By Andy Hutchison
A near-perfect campaign, including a flawless run through South-West Conference play in 2007, cannot be taken away from the Newtown High School boysâ golf team. One bad day on the course, however, which resulted in a disappointing sixth-place finish in the SWC Tournament, leaves Head Coach Jennifer Huettner and her returning golfers hungry for a return to the postseason and another chance at a run to a championship.
The Nighthawks were 14-1 overall (11-0 in the SWC) a season ago â not that it was all that easy to win every conference match. Among the nail-biting highlights was a one-stroke win over eventual SWC champion Pomperaug. Newtown was 13th in the Division I State Tournament last year. It marked the first time NHS qualified for the D-I tourney and the team was seeded ninth among the best of the best in the state.
Pomperaug, which ended up third in Division II, and Weston and Joel Barlow (fourth and sixth in D-III play, respectively, a year ago) are among the foes the Nighthawks will have to contend with as they play out the 2008 season.
The Nighthawks were scheduled to open the season against Pomperaug at the Newtown Country Club on Thursday and will host Barlow this coming Tuesday. Theyâll travel to Weston on May 6; have rematches with all three teams in the final couple weeks of the season.
Stephen Oberstadt is this yearâs captain. He returns along with sophomores Chris McCann, Kevin OâConnell and Scott Kim; and seniors Kevin Troy, Kevin Schneider and Bobby Devenport.
Newcomers to the team are senior Matt Gastonguay, and sophomores Chris Caufield, Tony Vacaro, Paul Michaud and Zach Dlouhy.
Key loses to the team are Pay Daly, who is playing on the golf team at Scranton University, Bill McCann who is in the PGM School at Methodist University and JP McDade, who is attending Wake Forest.