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WEST WINDSOR: South weathers win over rival

Gurock’s addition helps Pirate golfers edge North

By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
   It was a day better suited to be spent at the indoor driving range in his family room, but Jake Gurock had a good reason to brave the elements at Mercer Oaks Golf Course on Tuesday.
   The freshman led the West Windsor-Plainsboro South boys golf team to a 195-202 win over rival WW-P North.
   ”We usually play in those conditions,” Gurock said. “We’ve been playing every day in those conditions. I think the whole team thought we could handle them.
   ”We’re used to it,” he added. “We’ve been going out in four layers.”
   On the East course, they needed every one of them. Things started out windy, then got really wet. It couldn’t stop Gurock, who shot a two-over-par 38.
   ”The round, it had its ups and downs,” he said. “It could have been pretty special. I missed three birdie putts inside 10 feet. I could have definitely gone under par like Charles (Cai). Anything in the 30s, in those conditions, I was pretty happy with.”
   The Pirates used their depth to dispatch of the Knights, who had the two best scores on the day. Cai shot 1-under 35 and Ryan Sielger had 37.
   ”The difference for us was we had three guys shoot 39 — Kevin Smith, Jared Ziment and Jake Donohue. That was the difference. We played well as a team. It’s a team sport. I was really proud of the team.
   ”I feel like we’re all good golfers and we all can go low on any specific day,” he added. “We will all be the No. 1 golfer at some point. It’s fun. There’s competition within the team to be the lowest guy. There’s big competition just among the team.”
   Gurock feels honored to be playing No. 1 for the senior-laden Pirates. Four of their five seniors were in the starting lineup against South.
   ”We’re lucky to have a lot of depth to our team,” Wray said. “We have eight kids that have broken 40 this year. It’s quite a battle to even play in a match. Competition within the team is really a positive thing. The competition to make the team is tough. It works to our benefit to have a lot of talent.”
   Gurock did all he could to prepare for his debut year. He hit every day in the family room that his father turned into an indoor driving range, complete with a practice putting green.
   ”My mom wasn’t too happy about it,” Gurock said.
   She still isn’t too thrilled about losing the family room to golf, but she puts up with his relentless practice at all hours, which is paying off. He’s already starting to make a name for himself at the high school level while following in the footsteps of past Pirate greats that went on to college and pro success.
   ”It’s real early on, but he could be compared to the others that have come through here,” Wray said. “It’s really early to put any of that pressure on him. Talk is already happening about, is he like Matt (Davidson), or Nick (Cifelli) or Anthony (Aloi) or any of those guys?
   ”He’s a great young man. He’s very polite. He’s very into the game. He’s been playing a lot of tournaments before his high school career. He fit right in. A lot of times, after we finish the nine holes, he’ll go out with some other kids and practice another nine holes beyond what our regular practice is. He’s got a lot of dedication.”
   Gurock started chipping and putting when he was 7 years old. He would putt and chip for quarters from his dad.
   ”I’d chip and putt for hours, for like six hours,” Gurock said. “I just loved it.”
   He’s been playing seriously for the past three years, and now has his shot at high school. In just his third match of the year, he was up against the Pirates’ biggest rival.
   ”I got a sense of how big the rivalry was before,” Gurock said. “Even in tryouts, we were talking about it. I play with Ryan and Charles almost every weekend. We’ve been good friends since we were 9 years old.
   ”There’s always big competition between us three. Me and Ryan beat Charles in a match in the summer and we’re still talking to Charles about how we beat him.”
   Now, at least until the Mercer County Tournament, Gurock and the Pirates have bragging rights on their friends from their sister school. They had to play well to earn the win.
   ”We were beating North coming in the first three groups, and knew Charles and Ryan could shoot something really low and they did,” Gurock said. “We shot 195 and they shot 202. That’s really good competition. North didn’t lose. We just won.”
   Gurock’s addition is one reason why WW-P South will be a tough team to beat this year.
   ”My first year, the first goal was to make the team,” Gurock said. “Second, I wanted to feel like a part of the team. I wanted to contribute in some way. I just wanted to help them. I wanted to try to help the seniors try to win a state championship. I feel like we’re all good enough.”
   While Gurock may be playing No. 1, the first four matches have seen the Pirates mix up who has the best day. In their lowest score of the year, a 193 posted against Robbinsville, Steve Oh, who is playing No. 2, had a 37 with Smith and Ziment each shooting 38 and Gurock at 39. Gurock also shot 39 in the opener.
   ”There’s definitely not a front-runner,” Gurock said. “There’s no one guy who’s the best guy on the team. There are five or six guys that can shoot low every day. There will be points in time where we don’t worry about what the other team is doing. We’re trying to beat each other.
   ”I golf with Steve Oh. We have a good back and forth, give and take. I’ll give him a little trash talk and take it in. Then he’ll make a birdie. We’ll feed off each other. Steve’s a senior. We’re the 1-2 and we play each other every day. We have a really good relationship right now.”
   With so much talent on the team, maybe the hardest job is Wray’s as he tries to decide who gets to play each match.
   ”It is tough to figure it out,” Wray said. “You go by who’s playing well, and the course you’re playing. It’s kind of a gut feeling how they’re going to do.”
   Wray’s gut tells him that regardless of who is in, the Pirates will have a good group. They’ve been at 196 or lower in each of their last three matches, promising scores given the conditions in which they’ve been playing.
   ”I’m not really surprised,” Wray said. “I know we had a pretty strong team last year. We had a new addition this year with Jake Gurock coming into the lineup. We have a very talented team. We have a strong team, a deep team. The kids develop well together. They play constantly well together. I’m not surprised with how well they’re doing. I wouldn’t be surprised if by the end of the year, we can break 190.”
   After Thursday’s scheduled match against Hamilton West, the Pirates are off for spring break, but return with a big chance to show where they stand. Montgomery’s Cherry Valley Tournament is Apr. 25.
   ”We have a chance to go undefeated going into Hopewell and Princeton,” Gurock said. “Those are big matches. If we are going to win states, we have to win those matches.”