Minuteman Golfer Moves Up

’s golf team was dealt a seemingly crushing blow before preseason practices even got under way this summer. Two of them, to be exact.

Jeff Lang and Jason Tzannes – both seniors, one an MIAA Div. 1 state tournament regular, the other a and both slated to be key cogs for the Minutemen this season – went down with injuries. Lang suffered a wrist injury and Tzannes had knee surgery.

Good thing longtime LHS coach Rick Thibeault had the perfect replacement in mind to take over the No. 1 position in the lineup. A senior, already a captain and a three-year varsity player for Thibeault, the coach went with his best judgment and picked Brian DelGreco to fill the void.

“He’s the top player on the team and he’s the captain, so he’s the leader,” Thibeault said of DelGreco during a telephone interview earlier this week after Lexington defeated Middlesex League rival Watertown High at . “He’s the guy that gives the team focus, win or lose. When you win you handle yourself a certain way and when you lose you handle yourself a certain way. And he’s done that.”

DelGreco fit the mold for what Thibeault looks for in a No. 1 golfer to a tee. Highly skilled in his own right, the only thing holding DelGreco back from taking over the spot sooner was the combination of Lang and Tzannes. And now he has the added responsibility of being a captain too.

“It’s going good, I just try to set a good example,” the senior said, also by telephone following the win over the Red Raiders. “(Being a captain in) golf is a bit different because it’s an individual sport. But we just try to get the kids out there and playing.”

So far, Thibeault is very pleased with his decision. The Minutemen started the season 3-1 with DelGreco serving as its physical and emotional leader. Against Watertown, Lexington’s No. 1 came out of his match with a 7.5-1.5 victory.

Though he may have had an idea a shot at the top spot was in reach, DelGreco said his emotions were definitely mixed when Thibeault handed down his decision. DelGreco thinks it came down to him and Jack Lang, Jeff’s freshman brother and the team’s new No. 2, though Thibeault didn’t say as much.

“I was excited but also a little nervous,” DelGreco said of learning about Thibeault’s decision. “I knew Jack was a great player; he was the state champion at his age. I knew we were both good players, so I was just excited for the opportunity.”

The move was certainly different for him. Last year, he was more often than not slotted in the No. 2 or 3 spot in the lineup. Many of the teams in Div. 1 are deep throughout the lineup, DelGreco said, but the players at the top are a notch above the rest.

Still, he hasn’t altered much of what he normally does on the course. The opponents may be different, but the courses and their holes are not.

“I just try to play how I always play. If it’s good enough then it’s good enough,” DelGreco said. “Most of these teams (in Div. 1), either the No. 1 or 2 can play better than each other. It’s just luck of the draw, I guess.”

Thibeault isn’t worried about his captain’s approach, either. Despite a hiccup against Woburn High, the only team to defeat the Minutemen this season, DelGreco has played well in his new role. Plus, he already has the character of a leader, which is, of course, the reason Thibeault gave him the captain’s tag.

“He’s a kid who has been involved with the sport for a long time and he competes,” the coach said. “He doesn’t get down on himself and he doesn’t beat himself. If he gets beat it’s because somebody beats him.”

Tzannes is out for the season as he recovers from surgery, but Lang’s wrist is healing, and he may soon return to the Minutemen, DelGreco said, perhaps with an eye on reclaiming the leadoff spot. But DelGreco isn’t thinking about that, at least not yet.

His goal is to lead Lexington to a spot in the MIAA Div. 1 state tournament as a team. That’s something the Minutemen haven’t done since before he entered LHS. DelGreco said he’ll work to fulfill that mission.

“I just want to win individually and for the team to win,” he said. “Hopefully we can get to the states this year and get past the qualifier. I know we haven’t done it in awhile.

“That would be great. We try to do it every year and always seem to come up a bit short. This is my last chance and probably the last time I’ll be playing any real competitive golf.”

Lexington returns to the course Friday against Middlesex League foe Burlington High School at the Country Club of Billerica. The team will then travel to Bear Hill Country Club in Wakefield to play Stoneham High on Tuesday.