It’s a heady time for West Genesee’s golfing family, from seeing alum John Clare compete in the United States Amateur to a current Wildcats team with championship dreams.
After starting 13-0 a season ago, WG intends, in 2015, to take its success all the way to the Section III Class AA championships in October, and it already owns one tournament victory over its CNY Counties League rivals.
When they gathered last Monday for the season-opening Drumlins Invitational, the Wildcats shot a strong 195, which would win most years and beat the six other CNYCL teams in the field. But Oswego, from the Onondaga High School League, won a with a tournament-record 188.
Individually, Dylan Plis, with a 36, tied Oswego’s Sean Dain for second, for second, and Ethan Smith, with a 37, finished fourth, each of them trailing the Buccaneers’ Noah Lee, who won with a 34.
Sean Stanistreet finished with a 38, tied for sixth, with Joe Morgan posting a 39. Dean Matthews had a 45, while John Sullivan was part of a large group at 46.
For the rest of the season’s opening week, WG would stay at home. Meeting Cicero-North Syracuse’s Blue team at Westvale Club last Wednesday afternoon, the Wildcats took an early blemish, falling to the Northstars in a close 186-189 decision.
Between Patrick O’Donnell (35), Jon Petrin and J.T. Smith (36 each), C-NS Blue had the top three individual rounds ahead of Morgan, who led the Wildcats with a 37.
Otherwise, the scores were dead even, with Plis, Nick Bove and Kyle Korzeniewski each shooting 38, while Sullivan and Mike DiPaola both finished with 42.
Against Liverpool two days later, the Wildcats returned to the win column, handling the Warriors 188-209. Plis shot 36, as did the Warriors’ Dan Mott, while Stanistreet, Morgan, Korzeniewski and Smith all finished at 38, with Bove (40), Sullivan (42) and Mike Scherer (42) close behind.
All though this week, the Wildcats are on the road, facing Auburn Tuesday and C-NS’s Green team on Thursday.
