Strong Showing For Greenwich High School Golf Team At State Championship

The following recap of Greenwich High School's Boys Golf Team at the 2017 CT State Championship is by Ronald Ropiak:

GREENWICH, CT -- In conditions that at the start brought to mind a junior version of the fabled British Open, the Greenwich Cardinals Boys Golf Team concluded an exciting season by coming in second at the state championship at Fairview Farm Golf Course in Harwinton, CT on Tuesday.

The 15-0-1 Cards battled the course, their nerves, and the elements to take the runner-up spot in a field of twenty with an overall score of 307. Xavier High took the trophy home with a winning total of 301.

Big Red was led by sophomore sensation Jackson Fretty, who carded a 71-the second lowest in the championship- in very cool temperatures. Captain Jake Moses, a soon to graduate senior, continued his excellent play in his final season with a 75, and sophomore Billy Nail rounded out the top three with a 77. Fellow sophomores Ben Ropiak and Chris Magliocco each scored an 84.

The CIAC (CT Interscholastic Athletic Conference) tournament was the culmination of a tough spring season, which saw the five players come together as a unit to take home the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) championship last week at Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course in Fairfield, CT.

“It was a grind,” said Ropiak. “Some really bad weather came in early and delayed the 7:30 start all the way to 9:15. The rain was blowing hard and sideways. We knew it was going to be tough, but we prepared as best we could, and Coach Jeff Santilli made sure we had the right mentality and got us prepared for these tough conditions.”

Even though the loss was difficult, Santilli had particular praise for Moses for his leadership role, and for his dedication to the team over the last number of years.

“The day was hard,” added Santilli. “No doubt about it. And because the conditions were so difficult, we knew we had to keep our composure and take what the course had to give us. But I couldn’t be more proud of the team. They didn’t complain and get frustrated, and they kept grinding it out. Look at Jackson and his 71 and you see what can be done! We just came up a bit short.”

The third position at the tournament was a tie between Fairfield Prep and Ridgefield with 312, while Amity claimed the fifth position with 313.

All of the young golfers had to contend with weather at the beginning that only a rugby player could possibly love. And while the players had a few hours without rain, may of the spectators commented that they were happy to be in the clubhouse watching the action instead of being on the windy, cold course.

Coach Santilli summed up the season by saying the future looks bright for the talented team, but “You never know what will happen in golf. As anyone who plays this game knows, someone or some team can get hot at anytime, and for our tournaments we need four players to play their best at the same time. That’s the difference between individual honors and success as a team. Look at the pro tour and all the great players out there nowadays and how the winner changes week to week. But with a lot of hard work and some luck, I hope we can keep our success going for a number of years. I have my sophomores-soon to be juniors- for two more years, and some talented players on junior varsity are coming up and they’re hungry.”

Photo: 2017 Greenwich Cardinals Golf Team. From left, Chris Magliocco, Jackson Fretty, Billy Nail, Ben Ropiak, Jake Moses, and Coach Jeff Santilli. Photo credit: Contributed

-- By Ronald Ropiak