The Woodbridge High School golf team, coached by Bill O’Brien, finished this season with a record of 20-11. 8-6 in the division.
“I expected us to reach the state tournament, and we did. We met our goals,” O’Brien said.
Next year will be a tough year for the Woodbridge team, as O’Brien will only have one starter coming back.
“My three captains, Nelson Owen III, Yves Javier and Micky Smith all have graduated,” O’Brien said. “They were one through three in my team’s lineup. Chris Petrick was in the fourth spot of my lineup and he graduated too.
“Bryan Horvath will be my only returning starter. Bryan is one of those kids who never picked up a club before he came to Woodbridge. Now he is an outstanding golfer.”
Blaise Margherito, Andrew Krasman, John Collucci, Mike Magda, Matt Buchan and Brian Molnar are expected to fight for slots two through five.
“Overall, it was a great year for us,” O’Brien said. “Next year might be a difficult one. If the kids do what they have to do in the off-season to make themselves better, we should be OK.
“I told them to not worry about driving the ball. Go do par 3s and pitch and putts. Work on your short games. Hopefully, they took my advice,” the coach said.
“One of the most important things I did this year was get some of my younger kids action in some of our matches. Now they have some experience at this level.”
Time will tell if that move will pay off.
– Mike McDonald