The boys golf team is off to a good start this season with a record of 3-2. One of the team’s two losses came at the hands of Hunterdon Central, who are said to be amongst the team’s toughest competitors this year. Other top competitors this season include Ridge High School, Watchung Hills, and Montgomery. It is important to note that Ridge was last season’s Group Four State Champs, while Watchung Hills won the Skylands conference. With all of this in mind, one can see why the Raiders will have a challenging campaign.

“The Skylands Conference is perhaps the strongest public conference for boys golf in the state,” head coach Stephen Raff said.

Despite being in a very competitive league, the team believes they have an edge that can bring them to victory.

“One of the team’s biggest strengths is that we all have the potential to hit a low round which can change the way the team performs,” senior co-captain Connor Dillon said.

Overall, the team is performing better than last year at this point in the season.

“I think we’re going to be better than we were last year, especially with certain rule changes that are going to help our team out in the long run,” senior co-captain Ryan Kwiecinski said. “And I think the playing ability of the younger kids has definitely improved a lot.”

The young guns are key components of this year’s lineup considering the fact that the team captains are the only two returning varsity players. Non-varsity returning golfers include Jordan Kang, Eric Vandermeer, Ben Elliot, and Rakesh Senthilvelan.

“They all have JV match experience and I am looking for them to step up and improve their scores to potentially play in Varsity matches,” Raff said.

There are also many players who are just completely new to the golf team in general. Seniors Nick Volonnino and Andrew Fox have both been brought onto the varsity squad to contribute low scores. Junior Derek Li has also been quick to impress earning himself a spot on the Varsity lineup for week one. However, it is important to keep in mind that the varsity lineup does not always stay consistent.

“We play nine-hole practice rounds and matches,” Raff explained. “The varsity line up for each week is based on individual player nine-hole stroke averages (remember that I am a math teacher).”

It is with this strategy that the team seeks to go all the way to the state sections. Hopefully, their strokes on the course will lead them to victory.