By: Redd E. Patrick
Who said the Monroe High School golf team is a one-man show.
True, the Falcons possess one of the top golfers in the GMC in senior Justin Rohrig, but when they faced a must-win situation last week vs. Middlesex without their ace who was on a visit to Campbell College in North Carolina, his teammates responded.
Coming off a rare Blue Division loss to South River, which tied them for the division lead, the Falcons turned in three rounds in the 40s vs. Middlesex as freshman Ron Kushner shot 43, sophomore Doug Rohrig 44 and freshman Bryan Bailey 47. Junior Dan Kunigonis added a 50 at the Spooky Brook Golf Course, while senior Owen Fitzgerald shot 51. The result was a 235-251 victory.
"That was a big match for us," coach Pete LoPresti said. "South River wound us losing that day to Cardinal McCarrick, so that put us back in first place. Now we’ll see if we can run the table."
Although some of the scores were high, LoPresti expected that because of the blustery conditions last Thursday.
"I thought we played well under horrible conditions," said LoPresti, whose team in the defending Blue Division champs. "Ronnie really came through for us, Doug is really coming along and Bryan keeps getting better."
Monroe played just once since then, recording a 227-292 win over Spotswood on Wednesday at the Tamarack Golf Course’s toughest nine-hole layout – the par 36 Red.
The Falcons raised their record to 6-1 as Justin Rohrig returned to action with a five-over-par 41, followed close behind by his brother Doug with a 42. Kunigonis added a 46, Kushner a 48 and Bailey a 50.
"We have a solid top six and we’ve added in three other freshman so far to get them some experience," LoPresti said. "We’re basically a young team. We’re only losing Justin, so the more these younger kids play, the better we’ll be in the future."
The Falcons were scheduled to play New Brunswick yesterday and John F. Kennedy today. On tap next week are matches vs. Metuchen, McCarrick, North Brunswick and Spotswood. A make-up match vs. Metuchen may also be squeezed in.
"We have six division matches remaining," said LoPresti, whose team will face a challenge vs. White Division member North Brunswick. "They’re all winnable matches, so the kids really have something to look forward to."

