Gibbs, PHS golfers gain respect after win

Little Tigers upset top-ranked Haddonfield

By: Justin Feil
   Jordan Gibbs wasn’t happy with the start to his season, but if his recent play continues through the state tournament it will easily be forgotten.
   "I definitely needed to play better," said Gibbs, a junior for the Princeton High School boys’ golf team. "I started out pretty rough. It’s starting to come back."
   Gibbs’ score was thrown at as the Little Tigers won the Cherry Valley Country Club Invitational, but since then he hasn’t shot worse than 39 in any of his four matches. He was low man in the starting lineup with a 1-over 36 at Springdale Golf Club as PHS defeated then-Dorf Feature Service No. 1 Haddonfield, 193-195, Wednesday.
   "That felt pretty good," Gibbs said of his season-low. "Even though we won at Cherry Valley, I didn’t feel I contributed because my score was thrown out. In this win, I felt like I contributed."
   Gibbs, who was scheduled to take on another Dorf Top-20 team Moorestown on Monday. Moorestown was unbeaten going into Monday’s match, but that sort of record doesn’t faze the Little Tigers, who knocked off unbeaten Shawnee earlier this season.
   After going unbeaten last season, the Little Tigers sought out tougher competition for this year. Playing Haddonfield was one such example and it raised their level of play.
   "We were pretty confident," Gibbs said. "We felt we were pretty good. We think our team is a little underrated. We’re hoping people will notice us."
   It seems hard to imagine that the Little Tigers could be disrespected at this point. In local circles, they’re a favorite every time they take the course. It’s at the state level where PHS is hoping to make a name for itself.
   "They all want to play the best," said PHS head coach Sheryl Severance. "They all want to compare themselves to the best.
   "At the beginning of the season, I went online and found the Top 20 teams from last year. I gave the list to my AD and told him to get as many as you can. We had a great season. We’re 17-0 and they needed to challenge themselves more. Staying in our own conference would have been the same. We needed to challenge ourselves."
   The rewards, the Little Tigers hope, will come later. PHS lost some of the glow of its 17-0 season because of one bad showing. It came in the sectionals as the Little Tigers did not advance to the Tournament of Champions.
   "I think Moorestown is the last of our toughest matches," Gibbs said. "States is going to be good. Most of the good teams are in our (section). Hopefully we’ll advance to the Tournament of Champions. Last year, we played awfully in sectionals and we want to play better."
   PHS’ Top-20 competition may be over for the time being, but there’s no time for an off day on a Little Tigers team that has unmatched depth. This year, as proof, there is a junior varsity tournament for players with an average over 48. It’s a way to get players who don’t have the luxury of playing in every match some tournament experience.
   "I have 14 guys with averages under 45 on the team," Severance said. "None of them qualify. That’s how good they are. So we’re going to take some of the girls."
   "It’s like you’re competing against your other teammates just to get in a match," Gibbs said. "It’s a little tougher this year. We lost a senior, but we got one more good player. We got Jordan Graham and he’s one of our starters."
   Gibbs always expected that he would be a starter after returning with the fifth best average from last year. He’s hoping to move his 37.8 scoring average that leads the Little Tigers even lower.
   "We all just want to play well," Gibbs said. "States is the biggest tournament of the year. I’m not a big fan of the course, but I have to put that out of my mind."
   The Central Jersey Group III tournament is already in the back of the minds of the Little Tigers. They’ll also be favored to defend their Mercer County Tournament title May 11. Gibbs is finding his groove just in time and he sees the potential to be even better. He’s switched swing coaches, which has enabled him to find the fairways and greens with more frequency.
   "Now I have to make more putts," Gibbs said. "Putting is the key now. I’ve been hitting it well. I’ve been hitting a lot of greens. I haven’t been making putts. I’ve left some strokes out there.
   "When it all comes together, it should be good. Hopefully it will come out soon, maybe in one of those big tournaments."
   This year’s tournament will no doubt be different than last season’s. Even tough the Little Tigers didn’t advance last season, no one will be surprised if they move on this year.
   "Now people are expecting us to win," Severance said. "Before, no one expected us to win and if we did it was a shock. Now we’re going into the state tournament and people are expecting something."
   Topping the one-time top seed in the state certainly helps raise expectations.
   "It certainly builds their confidence," Severance said. "What we talked about is it gives them more incentive to win the state. They know they’re good enough. If they’re beating No. 1, they know they’re good enough to win Group III."
   Jordan Gibbs just wants to make sure that he’s a big part of that winning team. He helped bring the Little Tigers a win over Haddonfield to prove that he and the PHS boys’ golf team are starting to show their best just in time for the most important part of the season.