Raider golfers surging

Team fires 199 to beat Immaculata

By: John Beisser
   
   As the Hillsborough High golf team heads into the home stretch of its season, the Raiders appear to be clicking on all cylinders.
   The latest evidence of this fact came on April 28 when the Raiders earned an impressive 199-202 victory over a talent-laden Immaculata team at Royce Brook West. The win improved Hillsborough’s record to 8-3 on the season.
   Andrew Borsuk carded an even par 36, Matt Cannon had a 38, while the third and fourth golfers in the lineup, Logan Cecchine and Aaron Schiffman, fired 40 and a 45, respectively. The key to the team’s win, however, was No. 5 man Matt Simonik, who shot a sterling 40 with the match on the line to help Hillsborough pull out the victory.
   "Royce Brook, that’s not an easy place to play and it was a day when we had wind, rain, sun, pretty much every element," Raider head golf coach Paul Parker said. "Matt Simonik really turned in the key match and was the difference. Matt really picked us up and it was a good win."
   Breaking 200 for a five-man score is impressive, especially at a difficult layout like Royce Brook West.
   "To shoot 199 on that course in those conditions was a great effort," Parker said. "Schiffman had one hole which led to his uncharacteristic score of 45. He had a 10 on a par four on his way to a 45. If he pars that hole, he comes in with a 39, which is much more like his norm."
   The win over Immaculata was important on many levels, not the least of which was the fact it came on the heels of a pair of losses. Hillsborough dropped a 209-215 match to Bridgewater at Green Knoll in a match where Cannon’s 39 was the lone bright spot. The Bridgewater match was preceded by a 202-205 loss to a very good Montgomery squad.
   On April 19, the Raiders earned a relatively easy 205-233 victory over Franklin at Quail Brook, a score that is representative of the Raiders’ recent play.
   "We shot 205 two times in a row and one was good enough to get a win and the other wasn’t, but that’s golf," Parker said. "We’re playing good golf, we’re shooting good scores. I’m very pleased with how we’re playing."
   Hillsborough entered this past week in need of win one win in its next three matches to secure a berth in the NJSIAA Tournament, A team needs to have won 60 percent of its matches by the May 6 cutoff date.
   On Tuesday, the Raiders were slated to travel to the narrow, difficult Warrenbrook Golf Course to face a formidable Watchung Hills team. Hillsborough will then host Ridge at Hillsborough Country Club, followed by another home match vs. Franklin.
   "Warrenbrook is a tough course but we only need one win this week to get in," Parker said. "If we shoot what we’re capable of shooting at Hillsborough, we can shoot in the 190’s or low 200’s. The sixth, seventh and eighth holes, that’s the Amen Corner (reference to Augusta National) of the Hillsborough course. Those are the three toughest holes and those are the holes that can make or break a team.
   "I’m not sure how many of the Ridge players have played Hillsborough and as tough as those greens are, that’s to our advantage," Parker added. "We’d certainly like to clinch a spot in the states before Friday. I don’t want to go into that Franklin match needing to win it to get in."
   On May 10, Hillsborough is scheduled to travel to the Cherry Valley Country Club in the rematch vs. Montgomery. The Raiders are familiar with Cherry Valley as Hillsborough played in the Montgomery Invitational there and many of the players have played practice rounds there as well.
   The following week, Hillsborough will conclude its regular season with home matches vs. Bridgewater and Immaculata and compete in the Skyland Conference Championships at Fiddler’s Elbow. As the home stretch kicks in, Parker is pleased with where his team is and with the overall mindset of the team.
   "I think we’re playing with a lot of confidence," the coach said. "That Bridgewater match was an aberration. We just weren’t ourselves that day. We didn’t play well and it looked like, for some reason, we seemed to put pressure on ourselves. Except for that match, we’ve played some good golf.
   "To play this game at a high level, and to beat some of the better teams, you have to have self-confidence, a bit of cockiness, if you will," Parker added. "You still have to be humble, but I think at the same time a bit of cockiness is good for a golfer."