Junior has been consistent player
By: Bob Nuse
After failing to make the Montgomery High golf team as a freshman, Jason Stall could have gotten discouraged.
Instead, he realized just how much he loved the sport and worked hard to get better.
Now, two years later, Stall is a junior and one of the top players on a Montgomery team that is off to another quick start. The Cougars improved to 4-1 with a 169-176 win over Governor Livingston on Friday, setting the stage for what they hope would be a good performance in the Somerset County Tournament, which was scheduled to be held Monday.
"Stall is playing very well," Montgomery coach Charlie Olenick said. "He’s a kid that came out for the team as a freshman and didn’t make it. Last year he came in and was not too highly regarded by his upperclassmen teammates, but then he made it into the top six and had a real nice season.
"He did not play in the Cherry Valley Tournament at the beginning of the season. But then he came on and played real well at the Somerset County Tournament. He shot a 43 for nine holes. He shot an 81 and tied Landon Boger at the state tournament. At Fiddler’s Elbow he shot a 36 and was second at the conference tournament. He really came on and he finished the year with an average of 40.4."
This season, Stall has been the picture of consistency for Montgomery. In five matches, he has not shot more than 40 and has a 38.6 average for nine holes. It’s been a nice start to his second season as a player in the top six for the Cougars.
"I suppose a lot of the other players on the team are surprised, especially the seniors," Stall said of his performance. "But I came in last year and wanted to show what I could do. I knew I could play, but I had to show it on the course.
"This year, I knew we were losing two good seniors and there were going to be a couple of spots opening up on the team. High school golf is not the only reason I play, so I was still going to keep working on my game. I play because I like to play."
The summer after he did not make the Montgomery team was when Stall saw the most progress in his game. He worked with a coach, kept on playing and has developed into quite a player.
"We worked a lot on my swing and after that I was starting to hit the ball well," Stall said. "I know I can still get better. I could still use a little more distance, but I think that will come as I get bigger. My dad is 6-foot-4, so I expect to grow some more.
"I’ve been playing since I was 10ish. My dad plays a lot and that’s the main reason that I got started with it. We play all the time together. He’s a good player and he’s the one that really got me started with the spot."
Olenick, for one, is glad Stall persevered.
"As a sophomore, he ended up with the second best average we’ve ever had from a sophomore," Olenick said. "Boger is the only one who has ever done better.
"Jason is quite dedicated to the game of golf. He has a real nice swing and he has continued to get better. He puts a lot of time into it and he’s smart on the golf course. He’s got a real nice swing. He’s been the most consistent player on the team this year."
Much of that consistency comes from repetition. He plays often and works on his game all year long.
"I play whenever I can," Stall said. "I have a net in the garage and a putting green in the basement. I play whenever the weather is good enough to play in New Jersey. But I also work on my swing during the winter."
That has helped make Stall the latest in a long line of Montgomery players who have established themselves as top high school golfers. Olenick feels the tradition of success the program has enjoyed is a big motivating factor in the individual success.
"When you have guys playing well year after year, I think it sets a mark for the other kids to shoot for," Olenick said. "They know that do play and do well, they need to put a lot of time into it to be successful. I think the players who have done well in the past have set the standard for the new players that come along."
And now Stall is one of those players. And he thinks this can be another special year for the Cougars.
"We’ve been doing really well," he said. "I think we have a chance to do real well as a team this year. We have five seniors on the team plus me. We all feel like we can have a real good season. Our one loss was disappointing, and we wanted to win the Cherry Valley Tournament. But since then we’ve done well and had some nice wins."
And Stall is happy to be a part of that.