Chismar helps North top South
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Andrew Chismar was a part of a pretty special West Windsor-Plainsboro North boys soccer team that reached the Group III state semifinals last fall.
The Knights senior is hoping to contribute to an equally incredible season with the golf team this spring. He got off to a good start in shooting a 41 to help the Knights top rival West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 198-216, in Thursday’s season opener.
”It was really big,” said Chismar, who was third on the team behind Simran Charan and Dan Trink. “That’s the first time in three years that we beat South.”
Chismar didn’t golf as a freshman, and almost didn’t have the chance to golf Thursday. He earned that chance with a good week of practice.
”He was our sixth player and on the Thursday he shot a 41,” said Trevor Warner, head coach of the boys golf and soccer teams at WW-P North. “In the days leading up to the South match, we had three players vying for that sixth spot. So each day, they had something on the line. Andrew got the spot and made the most of it. That’s important, picking each other up.”
Chismar was just happy to be playing. While he’d rather not have that pressure in practice, it paid off in the match.
”It’s competition,” he explained. “It’s pretty much like a match. It’s been me and two other kids fighting for that sixth spot. You try to shoot your best.
”It’s tough. I like to just go out there and golf. I was in the top six last year then found out there are two really good freshmen.”
Chismar’s 41 at Mercer Oaks was better than he had shot at any point in the preseason. It helped produce a score that should open the team’s eyes to its potential.
”I think we shoot be shooting around that,” Chismar said. “We have two freshmen, Ryan (Siegler) and Charles (Cai), who have been shooting really low in practice. That should help. Dan Trink, he’s been shooting well since he started playing varsity. And Simran, he shot under par.”
The 198 in the season opener nearly equals their best of all of last season, 197, when they finished 9-7 but missed qualifying for the state tournament.
”This year, we’re trying to qualify for states as a team,” Chismar said. “We can probably do it this year. We’re looking pretty good.
”Every time you shoot under 200, it’s a great feeling. After listening to our coach, the highest score we dropped was only 43.”
The Knights’ fifth scorer on Thursday, Joe Pierro, is the only other senior on the team other than Chismar. Pierro’s 42 was better than the Pirates’ second scorer. It helped the Knights avenge their past defeats.
”This is my third year,” Warner said. “In the two previous years, not only did we not beat them, it wasn’t close. So (Thursday’s win) was pretty special. The kids played well.
”The prior two years, we didn’t qualify for the state tournament,” he added. “That made it a realistic goal on Thursday when we saw that score.”
It’s something that he should get used to seeing with a talented group that returns intact from last season’s squad and added the freshman talent.
”The ability to shoot low scores is going to be there every day,” Warner said. “Our top four guys, each one of them can shoot a 35. so far, they haven’t done it all on one day. It’s scary to think what score they could put up. And Joe Pierro, he’s our fifth guy, he shot under 40 a couple practice rounds. Our best score the past couple years has been 197 and we shot 198 in the first match.
”Scaling that obstacle of South was big,” he added. “Confidence can be a great tool, especially in the game of golf. They beat a rival and shot a great score early on. And there’s only room to get better. We’re on spring break, but we come back the 13th with Robbinsville. Then we have the Cherry Valley (Invitational) which is always attended by good teams.”
The Pirates are also on spring break and will play in the Cherry Valley Invitational. They were led Thursday by Steve Oh’s 40. They didn’t have the same depth to answer the Knights strong start.
”We were pretty confident,” Chismar said. “We knew they had graduated five of their six from last year which helped a lot. It was our first match though, so we were wondering if we could beat them.”
Chismar is focusing next on Robbinsville, and hopes to help the Knights contend for the Mercer County Tournament title as well as a state tournament berth. Already, though, his senior year has been a big success.
”We beat South in soccer and golf,” he said. “It’s worked out.”

