Boys Division 1 Previews

A huge thank you to the many coaches who took the time to send in their team information!

Alliance Aviators

Coach- Jeff Graffice
Conference- Eastern Buckeye Conference
Home Course- Sleepy Hollow
Team Website

Returning Players
Sam Gress- 12th
Ben Craig- 11th
Jacob Smith- 11th

Potential New Contributors
Brock Runion- 9th
Ethan Jackson- 9th

Coach Comments- Looking to improve this summer to be competitive this year

Amherst Comets

Coach- Mitchell T. Gillam
Conference- Southwestern Conference
Home Course- Fox Creek Golf Club
Team Website
Schedule

Returning Players
Ryan Yoder- 12th
Landen Bray- 12th
Prince Tran- 11th
Alek Kissane- 10th

Potential New Contributors
Mitchell Diehl- 12th
Jacob Sprinkle- 11th
Michael Haddix- 11th
Jordan Miller- 10th
Landon Wolf- 10th

Coach Comments- We return 3 players that were 1st or 2nd team all conference. Ryan Yoder, Prince Tran, Landen Bray

Avon Eagles

Coach- Jeff Stevens
Conference- Southwestern Conference
Home Course- Bob-O-Link Golf Course
Team Website
Schedule
Last Year’s Results- 2nd Place – SWC, 6th Place – Sectional, Hunter McCourt – District Qualifier

Returning Players
Hunter McCourt- 12th
Jack Cherrstrom- 12th
Zane Austin- 12th
Tommy Urbancic- 11th
Tim Mai- 11th

Avon Lake Shoremen

Coach- Matt Perry
Conference- Southwestern Conference
Home Course- Sweetbriar
Team Website

Returning Players
Kyle Ritter- 12th
Cole Cartwright- 12th
Nick Hurd- 12th
Nolan Clancy- 12th

Barberton Magics

Coach- David Kaser
Conference- Suburban League (American)
Home Course- Pine Valley
Team Website
Instagram- magics_golf
Last Year’s Results- Dual record: 11-1, Suburban League American Conference: 6th out of 8

Returning Players
Marco Silva- 11th
Cole Macko, 11th
Christian White- 11th
Devin Miller- 12th


Coach Comments- Marco Silva had led the team each of the last two years. He advanced out of sectionals and missed a playoff to go to the state tournament by a stroke. We are hoping to build off of last year’s success and take the next step this fall. Cole Macko also made great strides last season. I am expecting more of the same this year. The team will have four returning starters on varsity, but graduating three will challenge the entire team.

Bay Rockets

Coach- Rick Manderine
Conference- Great Lakes Conference
Home Course- Sweetbriar Legacy
Team Website
Twitter- @BHS_BoysGolf
Last Year’s Results- Overall Record 91-33  Great Lake Conference 26-4  Dual Record 11-3, 1st GLC Championship, 2nd Pioneer Classic, 3rd GLC Preview, 5th Comet Invitational  

Returning Players
Josh Hammond- 12th
Ian Williams- 11th
Jack Chalmers- 11th

Potential New Contributors
Ben Shuster- 11th
Aaron Bergstresser- 12th
Travis Ropeleski- 10th
Jayson Miller- 10th
Ben Wagner- 10th
Jayden Perrine- 10th
Trevor Ormsby- 10th


Coach Comments- The Bay Village squad is returning three high level players from last season.  Senior Josh Hammond will be the elder statesman.  Josh has been an integral player the past two seasons.  Juniors Ian Williams and Jack Chalmers will join forces with Josh to be the catalysts of the squad.  

Josh earned 2nd team GLC honors the past two seasons.  Ian Williams was a first team GLC member.  At the GLC Championship (Grey Hawk Golf Club), Ian fired a 76 to earn 2nd place individual honors.  The Rockets surprised the field and finished  first place @ the GLC Championship.  

Jack Chalmers will round-out the top three.  Jack gained valuable experience at the varsity level.  Jack is a smart player.  He grinds out pars.  All three are strong iron players.  With improved short games, they can catapult into elite players in the area.   These fellas have been putting in the work hard and are ready to make some noise.  

The remaining three varsity sports will be highly contested. Potential candidates include sophomores Travis Ropelski, Jayson Miller, Ben Wagner, Jayden Perrine and Trevor Ormsby.  The “Fab Five” freshmen made noise at the JV level.  It’s time for these sophomores to take their games to the next level.  It will be a heated competition.  

We are looking forward to a competitive season.  Our hope is to surprise the teams in the area.  We are youthful…but have a big upside.  The Great Lakes Conference has some of the strongest players in the area. It will be an exciting conference to follow this season.

Berea-Midpark Titans

Coach- Jim Cook
Conference- Southwestern Conference
Home Course- Royal Crest Golf Club
Team Website
Twitter- @BMHSTitanGolf
Last Year’s Results- 3-9 record, first at the Titan Invitational, 5th in conference

Returning Players
Andrew Greger- 11th
LJ Krek- 11th
Luke Nedoma- 10th

Potential New Contributors
Luka Santori- 11th
Leo Smith- 11th
Braeden Kinnard- 11th

Coach Comments- The graduation of 3 seniors has made our team young, however our 3 returning players have veteran experience in matches & tournaments. It will be interesting to see who shows up for those varsity spots. We have a very talented incoming Freshman class that should push the upperclassmen.

Brunswick Blue Devils

Coach- Colin Smith and Chad Thompson
Conference- Greater Cleveland Conference
Home Course- Pine Hills and Bunker Hill
Team Website
Schedule
Twitter- @brunswickhsgolf
Last Year’s Results- 5th as a team at the Good Park Sectional (335). Individual qualifier Max Heilbrun shot 73. Max shot 78 at the Pine Hills District.

Returning Players
Eric Carbone- 12th
Cayden De Wever- 12th
Dayten Bobula- 11th

Potential New Contributors
Dylan Piatak- 12th
Mikey Makara- 12th
Mike Samano- 12th
Jonas Hinderer- 11th
Ethan Kovacs- 10th

Coach Comments- We are extremely excited for new players to have the opportunity to compete for the Blue Devils this season. We will be extremely young and relatively inexperienced, but many of these young players are putting in a lot of work in this offseason. We are also looking forward to continuing to compete at an extremely high level, participating in some of the best tournaments in Northeast Ohio. We are extremely grateful to those coaches that give our players the opportunity to play in their events year in and year out.

Chardon Hilltoppers

Coach- Dan McGuigan
Conference- Western Reserve Conference
Home Course- St. Denis

GlenOak Golden Eagles

Coach- Scott McCahan
Conference- Federal League
Home Course- Sanctuary Golf Club

Returning Players
Anthony Morabito- 12th
Colin Whitmer- 12th

Potential New Contributors
Tyler Tolin- 12th
Gavin France- 10th
Evan Negulis- 10th
Patrick Arway- 10th
Ben Sibert- 11th
JP Parkinson- 11th
Dylan Wiles- 11th

Coach Comments- GlenOak will look to rebuild after losing 6 seniors last fall. We will return (2) 3 year letter winners and add a lot of new and younger golfers to fill the void.

Harvey Red Raiders

Coach- Scott Cummings
Conference- Chagrin Valley Conference (Valley)
Home Course- Painesville Country Club
Team Website
Facebook- Harvey Red Raider Golf
Last Year’s Results- 6-14

Returning Players
Joey DiAlfredi- 11th
Julian Baker- 11th
Micah Cannon-1 0th
Alex Boskovic- 10th
Aiden Englehart- 10th

Coach Comments- We are trying to take a step up as we had 3 freshman last year.

Archbishop Hoban Knights

Coach- Quinn Parker
Conference- Independence
Home Course- Mud Run, Portage Country Club, Brookside Country Club, Firestone Country Club
Team Website
Twitter- @HobanBoysGolf
Last Year’s Results- 4th Place State (Division I, Ohio State Golf Course), 2nd Place District (Division I, Pine Hills Golf Club, 1st Place Sectional (Division I, Good Park Golf Course).

Returning Players
Jack Vojtko- 12th
Kord Ready- 12th
Charlie Hite- 12th
Chris Pollack- 11th
Ray Dress- 11th
Braden Herstich- 11th
Brett Bagatti- 11th
Ethan Cooper- 10th

Potential New Contributors
Ben Berridge- 9th


Coach Comments- 9 returning varsity golfers for the 2023 high school golf season. Very experienced group of golfers. Looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish this year. Team will be lead by our three seniors Jack Vojtko (Ohio State Golf Recruit) Kord Ready, and Charlie Hite. We have a very strong junior class – Chris Pollak, Ray Dress, Braden Herstich , and Brett Bagatti. Two strong underclassmen golfers Ethan Cooper (Soph.) and Ben Berridge (Fr.).

Hoover Vikings

Coach- Scott Snyder
Conference- Federal League
Home Course- Arrowhead Golf Course
Team Website
Last Year’s Results- 3rd in league, 3rd in sectional tournament, 15th in district tournament

Returning Players
Ernie Otte- 12th
Luke Stutzman- 11th
Daniel Gambone- 11th
Jake Bowling- 10th
Carter Russell- 11th

Potential New Contributors
Seth Anderson- 12th
Owen Casper- 9th
Joey Stahura- 9th

Coach Comments- We look forward to competing and growing as the season progresses.

Hudson Explorers

Coach- Matt Villenauve
Conference- Suburban League (National)
Home Course- The Country Club of Hudson
Team Website
Twitter- @hudsongolfrocks
Last Year’s Results- 1st Place Sectionals, 16th place Districts, Suburban League Champions

Returning Players
Sam Fauver- 11th
Callahan Lawler- 12th
Adam Ruffer- 11th

Jackson Polar Bears

Coach- Jim Kish
Conference- Federal League
Home Course- Shady Hollow CC, The Legends of Massillon
Last Year’s Results- Federal League Pre-Season 1st, Hudson Invitational 1st, Stark County Invite 1st, Post Season Federal League 1st, Sectionals 1st, District 3rd, State 10th.

Returning Players
Jordan Kish- 12th
Ethan Kasler- 12th
Aidan Loy- 12th
Max Weber- 11th
Raffeale Scassa- 10th

Jackson looks to be very competitive this year with a solid group of returning letter winners. Jordan Kish, Stark Co. Player Of The Year, will look to continue his success heading into his senior year.

Kent Roosevelt Rough Riders

Coach- Ben Curtis
Conference- Suburban League (American)
Home Course- Windmill Lakes GC
Instagram- @rooseveltboysgolf
Last Year’s Results- Suburban League Champions

Returning Players
Liam Curtis- 11th
Christian Mineo- 12th
Rowan Baynes- 12th
Jack Puhalla- 11th

Potential New Contributors
Jack Flynn- 10th
Owen Puhalla- 9th

Coach Comments-
Players to Watch- Liam Curtis (POY last year and State Qualifier), Christian Mineo and Rowan Baynes.
Team- Looking forward to great competition, playing on some great courses. This is a great group of kids who enjoy playing and competing against each other and their peers

Lorain Titans

Coach- Dino Pappas
Conference- Lake Erie League
Home Course- Pinebrook

Returning Players
Landis Jarvis- 12th

Potential New Contributors
Antonio Rosario- 12th
Shane Hargreaves- 12th
Janai Marrero- 12th
Jousleirys Villanueva- 11th

Coach Comments- We are a mixed (boys/girls) team of mostly beginners. We have been working hard in the off season learning the game and are looking forward to competing against other similar teams in the area.

Louisville Leopards

Coach- Michael McFerren
Conference- Independent
Home Course- Sleepy Hollow Golf Club – Alliance, Ohio
Last Year’s Results- 10-1 record, 9th in the Tannenhauf Sectional

Returning Players
Jack Mayle- 12th
Zach Root- 12th
Cole Miller- 12th

Potential New Contributors
Zach Ganser- 12th
Michael Filipowicz- 11th
Joey Duncan- 11th
Braden Franks- 11th
Ethan Gruber- 9th

Coach Comments- We are returning 3 players that will wind up being 4 year letter winners. Outside of those three guys, we are going to be very inexperienced at the varsity level. Two of these three returnees have qualified for the District tournament in the past, so I look for 1 or more of them to challenge to get back to Pine Hills again this year. This year we are going to be looking for that solid 4th score as many other programs are throughout the area, if we can find that score, we will be very competitive in matches and tournaments.

Massillon Tigers

Coach- Josh Sykora
Conference- Independent
Home Course- Legends of Massillon
Twitter- @MTigerBGolf
Last Year’s Results- 1st place at the Smithville Invitational at Hawks Nest, 2nd place at the CVCA Invitational at Glenmoore Country Club, Played 16 Invitationals, Played 3 9 hole matches and went 2-1

Returning Players
Brock Jenkins- 12th
Trey Lautenschleger- 12th
Owen Robinson- 12th
Aiden Koehler- 10th

Potential New Contributors
Preston Reinhart- 11th
Hayden Smith- 12th

Coach Comments- 4 of our top 5 players are returning this season. Brock and Trey have both played very well this summer. They are both going to be players to watch for the 2023 season.

Medina Bees

Coach- Mike Mozingo
Conference- Greater Cleveland Conference
Home Course- Fox Meadow Country Club
Twitter- @Medinabeesgolf
Last Year’s Results- Fourth consecutive GCC title, Qualified for State tournament, Finished 12th

Returning Players
Cam Stafford- 10th
Eli Zimmerman- 11th
Coen Miller- 11th
Ethan Cole- 12th
William Guest- 12th

Coach Comments- We’re just trying to build upon last year’s success and try to play our best.

Mentor Cardinals

Coach- Eric Vinborg
Conference- Greater Cleveland Conference
Home Course- Black Brook

Returning Players
Andrew Betz- 12th
John Prentice- 11th

Midview Middies

Coach- Kyle Zimmer
Conference- Southwestern Conference
Home Course- Brentwood
Twitter- @MidviewBoysGolf
Last Year’s Results- League 4-3, overall duals 9-3, Edison Invite champions, Pioneer Invite champions

Returning Players
Drew Difranco- 12th
Ethan Taylor- 11th
Patrick Dolin- 10th

Potential New Contributors
Ryan Kemer- 11th

Nordonia Knights

Coach- Scott Lawrence
Conference- Suburban League (National)
Home Course- Ellsworth Meadows Golf Course
Twitter- @NordoniaGolf
Last Year’s Results- 6th in the Suburban (National), 2nd in the OHSAA Sectional at Windmill Lakes

Returning Players
Drew Kitzmiller- 12th
Ben Mallis- 12th
Caden Cook- 11th
Ryan Mallis- 10th

Potential New Contributors
Carter Bretz- 10th
Brody Gopalkrishna- 11th
Gran Lucician- 12th
Cameron Yanok- 10th

Coach Comments- We bring back a solid core of players that have been working hard over the summer to improve upon last year’s performance. The team will be lead by our two senior returning lettermen, Drew Kitzmiller and Ben Mallis.

North Ridgeville Rangers

Coach- Mike Belpulsi
Conference- Southwestern Conference
Home Course- Pine Brook
Twitter- @coachbelpulsi
Last Year’s Results- SWC 1-6 Overall 1-7

Returning Players
Kyle Urban- 11th
Nicky Mealey- 11th

Potential New Contributors
Tyeson Carter- 11th
Nick Forristal- 11th
Parker Prince- 11th
Ethan Crevda- 10th
Jakob Holland- 10th

North Royalton Bears

Coach- Steven Sprunger
Conference- Suburban League (National)
Home Course- Hinckley Hills Golf Course
Last Year’s Results- 4th place in the Suburban League National Division. Tournament winners at Madison Rams Invitational, Placed 4th at Sectionals and advanced to Districts at Pine Hills

Returning Players
Lukas Cengic- 12th
Ryan Kuchta- 12th
Brandon Jenkins- 12th
Andy Kovalak- 12th
Daniel Lee- 12th
Charlie Wilson- 11th

Potential New Contributors
Roman Gambino- 12th
Ryan Wilson- 9th
Lucas Stringer- 9th

Coach Comments- The Bears are loaded with senior leadership and are looking to compete in the S.L. National Division this year.

Norton Panthers

Coach- Mike Maile
Conference- Metro Conference
Home Course- Spring Hills
Team Website
Last Year’s Results- Last season regular season record was 0-16, Norton finished 1st in Metro Athletic Conference tournament

Returning Players
Charlie Gabor- 12th
Eric Frantz- 12th
Regis Vargo- 12th
Matt Fowler- 11th
Evan Easterling- 11th

Olmsted Falls Bulldogs

Coach- Damon DeMarco
Conference- Southwestern Conference
Twitter- @OFBoysGolf1
Last Year’s Results- SWC Champions, 1 Tournament Win, 2 Individual District Qualifiers

Returning Players
Dylan Sowers- 12th
Jake Platner- 12th
Peyton Katitus- 12th
Cole Odon- 10th
Isac Candow- 12th
Lucas Hand- 12th
Rowan Seymour- 11th
Sam Sedlacek- 11th

Potential New Contributors
Connor Lehmann- 10th
Owen Timura- 11th

The Bulldogs lost a 4 year letterman and conference MVP – Ben Scheeff (Cleveland State), but returns 4 full time varsity players and a few players that did get some varsity experience last year. There will be a rotation at the bottom of the lineup and there will be some good competition for those final 2 spots each week across several capable players. The team will be lead by Dylan Sowers (Sr) who will be in his 4th year as a Varsity player coming off his best year (1st Team All-SWC, District Qualifier, 18 hole avg – 78.0, 9 hole avg – 38.15)

Revere Minutement

Coach- David Archer II
Conference- Suburban League (American)
Home Course- Fairlawn Country Club
Schedule

Last Year’s Results- Suburban League American Division – 4th Place, Suburban League American Division 2nd Team Honoree – Jack Kinder, Suburban League American Division Honorable Mention – Grant Banning, Suburban League Boys Golf Athlete of the Month, October – Jack Kinder, Jack Kinder advanced to the State District Tournament as an Individual

Returning Players
Grant Banning- 12th
Jack Kinder- 11th
Giovanni Lucarelli-Devorak- 12th
Angelo Levak- 11th

Potential New Contributors
Michael Zachary- 12th
Jack Skidmore- 11th
Langston Ford- 10th
Tommy Kinder- 9th

Coach Comments- Revere will be hosting our 3rd Annual “Revere Cup – Friday Night Lights Experience” on Saturday, August 26th @ Fairlawn Country Club. The event has grown both in popularity and notoriety drawing nearly 300 fans/patrons this past season.

Riverside Beavers

Coach- Mike Pickett, PGA
Conference- Western Reserve Conference
Home Course- Little Mountain/Quail Hollow
Last Year’s Results- Brayden Abbott- ALL WRC Conference, Walker Young- All WRC Conference

Returning Players
Brayden Abbott- 12th
Walker Young- 11th
Ben Selan- 12th

Potential New Contributors
Caden Boyd- 11th

Rocky River Pirates

Coach- David Hendrickson
Conference- Great Lakes Conference
Home Course- Big Met Golf Course
Team Website
Schedule
Twitter- @RR_BoysGolf
Last Year’s Results- 8-2 in matches, GLC Champions, Midview Invitational Champions (305 at Columbia Hills CC – season low), Sectional Champions (328 at Greyhawk)

Returning Players
Luke Dietrich- 12th
Nick Tianello- 12th
Dan Capka- 12th
Jack Hurt- 12th
Jack Petrus- 12th
Luke Petrus- 12th

Coach Comments- We’re looking forward to a great season with an experienced group!

Shaker Heights Raiders

Coach- Paul Sampliner
Conference- Greater Cleveland Conference
Home Course- Shaker Country Club and Highland Park
Last Year’s Results- Reached Districts for the 3rd year in a row finishing 10 strokes away from a trip to Columbus. 2022 Winners of the CVCA Invitational, PC Classic, and the NDCL Invitational (306 here, our best team score of the year).

Returning Players
Devan Bhatia- 12th
Quintin Garnett- 12th
Alec Miller- 12th
Noah Rusnak- 12th
Elliot Thome- 12th

Coach Comments- Shaker is looking to build from a solid 2022 campaign that included three tournament wins and a 9th place finish at Districts. Five experienced returning Seniors are charging back to earn a trip to Columbus for their final year. We are also looking forward the challenge of conference play in our re entrance into the Greater Cleveland Conference.

St. Edward Eagles

Coach- Douglas Sessor
Conference- Independent
Home Course- Grey Hawk GC
Team Website
Twitter- @sehs_golf
Last Year’s Results- 5th place Sectionals

Returning Players
Jack Myslenski- 12th

Potential New Contributors
Thomas Marshall- 12th
Vinh Lai- 11th
Sean Curran- 11th
Michael Tyler Polca- 11th
Logan Zaremba- 12th
Jack Wallenhorst- 11th
Ryan McGuire- 11th
Luke Schramko- 11th
Chris Nadja- 10th
Nickolas Torres- 10th

Coach Comments- Very pleased where we are entering the season! The bulk of our program put in a rigorous offseason with strength/conditioning programs and competing in local tournaments. The Eagles are led by two seniors Jack Myslenski and Thomas Marshall with a accompanying deep 2025 class. As we enter this season we are set on making a run at qualifing for OHSAA States.

St. Ignatius Wildcats

Coach- Kevin Neitzel
Conference- Independent
Home Course- Elyria Country Club
Team Website
Last Year’s Results- 2022 Division 1 State Champions

Returning Players
Bradley Chill- 12th
Julian Dugan- 12th

Potential New Contributors
Frank Adamo- 12th
Alexander Stiegele- 10th
Joe Maloof- 10th
Craig Carneval- 11th

Coach Comments- Bradley Chill and Julian Dugan return from the 2022 State Championship team and both are capable of leading us to a state title run. We have a strong group of underclassmen that will be pushing for a place on the Varsity roster. Our goal is to win a third straight State Championship.

St. Vincent-St. Mary Irish

Coach- Jim Currie
Conference- Independent
Home Course- Good Park GC
Team Website
Twitter- @stvmboysgolf
Last Year’s Results- 10-4 Overall Match Record, 9th place Sectional finish, 2nd Place Alliance and Cardinal Classic, 3rd Place Tuscarawas Central Catholic and Field Tournaments, 4th Place Nordonia Tournament, 13 Place CVCA Tournament, 9th Place St Eds Tournament

Returning Players
Harrison Pumphrey- 12th
Paul Merkle- 12th
Nick Wierzbicki- 11th
Paul Witschey- 10th

Potential New Contributors
Ben McKnight- 12th
Jackson Vesco- 11th
Angelo Puglia- 11th
Nate Sparhawk- 10th
Mario Case- 10th

Coach Comments- For us to do well our 4 returning players will have to play well every time we are on the course. Whoever gets the 2 open varsity spots will have to step in and play well to help us.

Stow-Munroe Falls Bulldogs

Coach- Chet Feldman
Conference- Suburban League (National)
Home Course- Fox Den
Last Year’s Results- 2nd in league, made it through sectionals and just missed going to state. Last year senior, Ben Skripac, did end up going to state and finished 11th overall individually. Sophomore (Junior to be) Austin Wilhoit missed going to state by one stroke.

Returning Players
Matt Kurtz- 12th
Austin Wilhoit- 11th
Eddie Norman- 10th
Tyler Cheetham- 10th

Potential New Contributors
Anderson Hurst- 11th

Coach Comments- We are going to be very young, but the kids will be playing in tournaments in the off season to gain some experience that hopefully will help us going into the season.

Tallmadge Blue Devils

Coach- Scott Campbell
Conference- Suburban League (American)
Home Course- Brookledge
Team Website
Twitter- @Tallmadge_BGolf

Returning Players
Alex Wise- 12th
Gabe Jones- 11th
Warner Carter- 10th

Coach Comments- We will have 3 returning Varsity players and a lot of new faces. We are excited to see the younger players compete for spots.

Twinsburg Tigers

Coach- Scott Levey
Conference- Suburban League (National)
Home Course- Gleneagles
Last Year’s Results- 12/4

Twinsburg expects to be competitive in 2023, led by senior Rob Prevette.

University School Preppers

Coach- Mike Sarris
Conference- Independent
Home Course- Sand Ridge Golf Club
Team Website
Last Year’s Results- 3rd Place Sectionals, 7th Place Districts, Jackson Pinney Individual State Qual.

Returning Players
Adam Sands- 11th
Ethan Roberts- 11th
Jackson Pinney- 11th

Valley Forge Patriots

Coach- Mitchell Hartel
Conference- Great Lakes Conference
Home Course- Ridgewood Golf Course
Twitter- @forge_golf
Instagram- vfhartel
Last Year’s Results- Record: 12-2, Conference Record: 3-2, GLC Tournament: 6th Place Finish

Returning Players
Anthony Donley- 12th
Ryan Repko- 12th
Garrett Hollon- 12th
Stefan Stjepanovich- 12th
Bill Jobes- 11th

Coach Comments- Our team is full of a lot of experience, talent and mental strength. Over the past four years, our players have improved their abilities on the course significantly. Led by Captains Anthony Donley and Ryan Repko, the team is in great hands when it comes to putting up low scores. Other Senior leaders, Stefan Stjepanovic and Gary Hollon also look to continue having solid careers here at Valley Forge. It will be fun to see the progress and steps they take toward posting another successful year for the Patriots.

Wadsworth Grizzlies

Coach- Steve Ferris
Conference- Suburban League (National)
Home Course- Pine Valley
Last Year’s Results- District Qualifier

Returning Players
Landon Blizzard- 11th
Ethan Kuzmik- 12th

Potential New Contributors
Michael Fahey- 10th

Coach Comments- Last season’s District Qualifying has garnered attention- expecting good things this year.

Walsh Jesuit Warriors

Coach- Bill Reilly, PGA
Conference- Crown Conference
Home Course- Brookledge and Ellsworth Meadows
Last Year’s Results- 6 Tournament wins in 2022 (tied) most of the last 15 yrs. Crown conf champs 5th straight year

Returning Players
Parker Barrett- 12th
Anthony Spain- 10th
Ryan Czenzak- 10th
Steven Voinovich- 11th

Potential New Contributors
Dominic Calleri- 12th
Matthew DiMare- 12th
Ben Yeager- 10th

Coach Comments- I believe this team will be very hungry for the post season.2022 was a bitter setback for a talented team who overlooked State Sectional Qualifier for the District tournament and missed the District Tournament for the first time in 22 yrs

West Geauga Wolverines

Coach- Jay Kletecka
Conference- Chagrin Valley Conference (Chagrin)

Returning Players
Landon Lear- 11th
Xander Hinds- 11th   
Traian Hinds- 12th
JT Javorek- 11th      
Kellen Scharf- 11th   

Potential New Contributors
Aiden Hinds- 9th
JJ Rubinski- 9th

Westlake Demons

Coach- Luke Harris
Conference- Great Lakes Conference
Home Course- Sweetbriar
Team Website
Schedule
Last Year’s Results- 2nd in GLC, 3rd in Amherst Invitational, 1st in Comet Classic, 1st in Elyria Catholic Invitational, 3rd in Midview Invitational, 4th at Sectionals and qualified for Districts as a team. 2nd year in a row for that, 13th at Districts, Sion Park was 2nd at Sectionals and qualified for States as an Individual.

Returning Players
Sion Park- 12th
Michael Labenz- 12th
Michael Ambrosino- 12th
Mitchell England- 11th
Matthew Brown- 10th

Potential New Contributors
Josh Turk- 11th
Peyton Wolf- 9th

Coach Comments- This is my first year as coach so I don’t know much. I have been told to watch out for Sion Park. He had a great year last year and should be able to compete for states.

Willoughby South Rebels

Coach- Matt Fundak
Conference- Western Reserve Conference
Home Course- Manakiki
Twitter- @SouthRebelGolf
Last Year’s Results- 5-9, graduated the player of the year

Returning Players
Michael Lavrisha- 11th
Tyler Hace- 10th
James Miller- 11th
Andrew Schrenk- 12th

Potential New Contributors
Chase Stafford- 11th
Austin Parker- 11th
Ralph Zappola- 9th

Coach Comments- We will be young, but we will be competitive.

Lake Erie Girls Golf Association Preview

The Lake Erie Girls Golf Association typically is a competitive league made up of teams from the Great Lakes Conference, the Lorain County Conference, and others. The team to beat in 2023 looks to be the Rocky River Pirates under coach Jeff Hammond, led by senior Chloe Holton and junior Mia Ginetti. Other teams in contention include Westlake, who perennially sits near the top of the conference standings and has won the conference the last two years, and North Olmsted, who is a more recent addition to the conference. Columbia and Keystone, who will have a new coach in Greg Morgan, are still building their programs while Fairview, with new coach Chris Kaminski, and Bay will look to set a solid base for the future.

Impact Players

Emma Feakins (JR) Keystone
Megan Forshey (SR) Westlake
Charlotte Fox (SO) Bay
Mia Ginetti (JR) Rocky River
Chloe Holton (SR) Rocky River
Taylor Kuhrt (SR) Columbia
Rose Lane (JR) North Olmsted
Jessica Paracsi (SR) Fairview

Freshmen to Watch

Katie May Baum (Columbia)
Nina Scott (North Olmsted)

Bay Rockets

Head Coach- Victoria Budzyn
Last Year’s Results- 15th at Springvale Sectional, regular season: 5 wins, 11 losses
Coach Comments- Bay High School has a young team with a lot of underclassmen who are consistently improving.

Columbia Raiders

Head Coach- Rebecca Brendza
Last Year’s Results- 4th at The Pines Sectional, 11th at Districts, Overall Record: 9 – 5; Conference Record: 7 – 3; Won the Choke/Prize ball at LEGGA Preview; 3rd place in the LEGGA Championship
Coach Comments- Looking for some strong leadership from our four seniors!

Fairview Warriors

Head Coach- Chris Kaminski
Last Year’s Results- Unknown

Keystone Wildcats

Head Coach- Andy Gibson
Last Year’s Results- 6th at The Pines Sectional

North Olmsted Eagles

Head Coach- Nolan Turpin
Last Year’s Results- DNS at Springvale Sectional

Rocky River Pirates

Head Coach- Jeff Hammond
Last Year’s Results- 7th at Springvale Sectional, 20-1 match play, Regular season LEGGA Champions, 1st place LEGGA preview, 2nd place LEGGA championship, 7th place at Edison Invitation,7th place at Parma Flamingo Frenzy
Coach Comments- Top 3 scorers return from record setting season last year. Chloe Holton and Mia Ginnetti tied for the final district qualifying spot and are back looking to lead the team to another LEGGA Championship and first ever District appearance.

Westlake Demons

Head Coach- Traci Edmunds
Last Year’s Results- 12th at Springvale Sectional, 10-2 record, Back-to-Back 1st place LEEGA Tournament Championships
Coach Comments- I’m excited for golf season! We graduated 5 of our varsity players last season so we will be a young team but I’m confident in our returning varsity players and the talent and experience they bring to our team. I’m also looking forward to seeing the young and upcoming talent to contribute to our teams success!


It’s Time to Showcase Your Skills

By Krystine Frisch, Avon Lake High School Girls Varsity Golf Coach

The Ohio Girls Golf Foundation is hosting its high school showcase on Monday, July 31 at Avon Oaks Country Club. Incoming freshmen are invited to play as well as out-going seniors, so girls have the opportunity to play for five years. 

This year LPGA Tour Professional Barb Mucha will headline this premier golf event, which consists of game improvement clinics, an 18 hole individual and team tournament, plus an awards dinner. 

Former player and scholarship recipient Emma Davies has only good things to say about the event. “I loved the OGGF event because it was so organized and it was an amazing way to bond with your team before the school year starts. I also loved how they included pre-freshman year and post-senior year because it was a great way to meet more people,” Davies said. 

Her former teammate Maggie Owens had this to say: “OGGF was one of my favorite tournaments while playing golf in high school. This was a fun and calming tournament to play during the summer. Since this tournament was before the season had begun, it was always an event that my teammates and I looked forward to. Overall, it was a refreshing and relaxing day that started out with clinics and warming up, followed by an 18-hole tournament, “ Owens said.

Liv Ritter will be a senior and has played in the OGGF.  “It’s a good ready-to-go tournament. It is a great pre-season event before the season starts. It gave me advice to improve my short-game…which is half of my game. My short game is important.”

For information on the clinic and tournament, click on this link: Ohio Girls Golf Foundation Showcase.

Spotlight on Natalie Kostalnick, Strongsville High School

Natalie Kostalnick from Strongsville High School is a Student Scholar Athlete with a 4.3 grade point average, the Greater Cleveland Conference Golfer of the Year for the past two seasons, and a future veterinarian who is already shadowing at some of the largest clinics in the Cleveland area. If those accomplishments and aspirations were all that made Natalie who she has become, it would be an amazing story. But there is more.

Since 2016, Natalie has worked to raise over $25,000 to donate to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus working for a non-profit she started called Drive Out Child Cancer. “There are kids who cannot get out of their hospital rooms for days or even months to do the things they love,” Natalie explained. After playing in a tournament at Ohio State, Natalie and her father made it their mission to raise money for those individuals who need it the most. “I went to the local bar that my family eats at and cleaned bar stools and bar rails. I made $100 and came up with my own $150 more.” She became the first person to donate money to Nationwide that way and decided she could help even more, leading to the beginning of her nonprofit. She mentioned that it has been hard to get the fundraising going since the Covid pandemic, but she is working hard to get it back on track.

Natalie Kostalnick started playing golf at the age of eight. The story began at Mr. Divot’s Sports Center in North Royalton where she was watching her sister hit softballs at the batting cages. “I was not talented enough to hit a softball,” Natalie recalled, “so my dad sent me and my mom to grab me a cut down shaft golf club. And now I’m 10 years into playing the sport.” She started playing in tournaments shortly after that and realized that she had talent when she started to see her name appearing at the top of those leaderboards.

As soon as Natalie stepped on the golf course her freshman year she immediately became the number one player on the team. “I was horrified to play on the team,” she said. “I was going to be the youngest one with some of the best scores. I was definitely intimidated. But there was nothing to worry about because they all welcomed me without any hesitation.” One player that had a huge impact on Natalie is Madison Gilbert, who is one year ahead of Natalie and a recent graduate who will be attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. “We were in elementary school together,” Natalie said. “She is the person I would run to when we had to pick partners at practice. When we have conversations she always listens and gives me the best advice.” Those conversations range from golf to traditional teenage girl talk. “I am very sad to see her leave this year but I know she will go on and do AMAZING things at Miami. Everyone needs a Madison!”

According to Strongsville coach Kevin Weir, “Natalie has changed the culture of our program and has turned it into a contender each year.” They won back-to-back Greater Cleveland Conference Championships in 2021 and 2022, with 2021 being their first in a decade. Natalie led the Mustangs to the District Tournament her freshman year by shooting an 83 at the Sectional Tournament at Sweetbriar Golf Course and followed it up with an 83 at Districts at Ellsworth Meadows. The Sectional Tournament was moved to Springvale Golf Course in 2021, a move that helped Natalie take her game to a whole new level as her 74 helped Strongsville finish in second place. Again, she performed well at the District Tournament at Brookledge with an 82, earning a top 20 finish. She matched her 74 at Sectionals this past season. Natalie knew that she had played well, but was not sure exactly how well. “I did not keep score in my head. When I heard I shot 74 I was honestly surprised. My game felt good but not that good.” It was that good. Natalie finished tied for second place overall in the tournament and her team advanced to Districts yet again.

The weather worsened for Districts at Brookledge in 2022 and high scores were common all around the golf course. Natalie was disappointed with an 89. “The temperature was everywhere,” she said. “It’s hard to play with multiple layers.” That was not meant to be an excuse because other factors were at play. “I also think that nerves got the best of me,” she added. “It is hard to play with the top players in your area and keep that off your mind. It’s much easier said than done.” She is already looking at it as a learning experience.

Natalie is also very happy to share what she has already learned and her experiences with her younger teammates. “I try to give advice (not only golf), try to help them with the game, and I am just always an open ear to help them with anything,” she said. She has had a huge impact on one player for sure. The number two player on the Strongsville varsity team is Hannah Lee, a talented up and coming junior who has some serious golf skills. “It’s amazing to see the golfer and the person that she has become in the last two years,” Natalie said proudly. “I hope I’ve taught her a few things before I leave next year.” What are some of those things? “I try to help her out as much as I can, like reminding her to not four-putt at least once a round,” she responded with a smile. “We know each other’s attitudes and know when we need to be consoled and when to leave each other alone.” Some teams struggle with building chemistry, but because of Natalie along with her past and current teammates, Strongsville is not one of them. “I am very lucky to have such a tight knit team,” she explained.

Coach Weir agrees that Natalie has been a transformative influence on his program. “Natalie has completely changed who Strongsville Golf is as a program since she has been a freshman,” he explained. “Natalie is a natural leader and has shown it since day one.” He added that she is the player who keeps the rest of the team on the same page, and has been doing it since she was named a captain as a sophomore. Coach Weir added, “She communicates with the team as needed during the offseason and makes sure everyone is doing okay on and off the course during the season.”

Coach Weir mentioned that one of the keys to being successful in high school golf is using the summer to improve. Between the end of the school year and the beginning of August, the time typically goes by very quickly. Natalie tries to simulate the rigor of the high school season when she plays over the summer. She typically plays in well over ten tournaments and gets out as often as possible to get practice rounds in. There is one key aspect to all of the practice and competition. “I make sure that I am prioritizing having fun,” she said. Some of the most fun that many junior golfers have over the summer is at the Hudson Junior Invitational, which takes place toward the end of June each year. Natalie was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to play in the Hudson Junior last summer. “It was hard with my dad not being there because he was out of town, but my friends came out to watch,” Natalie explained. “It was also nice to get paired up with one of my friends (Isabella Paez from Magnificat) for the first two rounds.”

An amazing quality shared by the talented high school golfers in Northeast Ohio is how they are able to excel on the golf course while still having a huge impact on their respective communities as well. Natalie Kostalnick is another fine example of a top tier golfer whose impact reaches far beyond the fairways and greens. Coach Weir put it perfectly: “She has the biggest heart and is truly willing to do anything for anyone.”