Last fall, senior Mike Ostrowski was the kicker for the Jackson Liberty High School football team, which got off to the program’s best start by winning its first three games of a 6-4 season and made its first trip to the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III playoffs, all while contending for a Shore Conference B title up to the final weekend.
Senior Jason Lyons swam for the Liberty Lions’ varsity team in the winter. Sophomore Cole Moskal was a key figure for the school’s ice hockey team that started its season with its first-ever victory over Jackson Memorial High School, set a school record with nine victories, and narrowly missed reaching the Handchen Cup playoffs for the first time. Curtis Johnson played for the soccer team that came off a competitive fall season.
But in the spring, these student-athletes combine their talents on Jackson Liberty’s golf team, which began its bid for a winning campaign with matches scheduled on April 1 at Manchester Township High School and on April 2 in the Wildcat Invitational hosted by Pinelands Regional High School. They hope their personal experiences with success in prior seasons can carry over to this one.
Last year’s team opened its season with a three-stroke victory over Jackson Memorial and never was as sharp from there, as it struggled with consistency in an 8-8 season. This year’s team has high hopes with many returning players and a move back into Shore Conference B South after a brief stay in C Central. In B South, the Liberty Lions join a division that includes Manchester, Central Regional High School, which they were set to play on April 3, and Point Pleasant Borough, which they play the following day. Jackson Liberty has a non-conference match on April 5 at Toms River High School East.
“I think we’ll be very, very competitive,” an upbeat coach Frank Giannetti said last weekend. “Point Borough has been the team to beat, but it lost some seniors who were on last year’s team, so they might come back to the pack. We’re very optimistic this year.” Giannetti pointed out that five of his top players compete in other sports during the other seasons, but they lock into golf once spring rolls around.
Entering their fourth season on the varsity team, Lyons and Ostrowski qualified for the Shore Conference Tournament last year when they were the top two players on the team. They have looked like the two best again this spring. Ostrowski finished 19th in the Ocean
County championships with an 88 at Sea Oaks Golf Course in Little Egg Harbor. The top 27 in the county championships qualify for Shore Conference. As a team, Jackson Liberty finished 10th.
Giannetti said Lyons “has gotten more consistent each year.
He drives the ball well and has a better short-game strategy this season.”
The coach called Ostrowski a “course technician who does everything well.”
Moskal is the shortest player on the team, but he will make some big contributions with a steady game.
“He doesn’t let things bother him,” Giannetti said. “His game is pretty straight.”
In a sport where a player’s mental approach is as vital as the physical skills, a steady temperament can translate into fewer strokes.
The cog that could make this a memorable season is Johnson, who looms as the No. 4 player this season despite sitting out last season after starting as a sophomore.
“He’ll definitely be in the top five. We’re really happy he’s back,” Giannetti said.
Senior Nick Clifford, juniors Matt Bruns and Sam Flesher and sophomore Brandon Grosso are in the mix for the fifth spot in the starting lineup and any of them can step into a starting role if a starter is injured or struggling with his game. Bruns, who is also on Jackson Liberty’s swim team, was a starter last year along with Tyler Wright and Tyler Koerber, who graduated last spring.
“This is a really good group of kids,” Giannetti said. “The seniors set a good example for the younger kids. There are no egos. All of them like to play, regardless of who is in the lineup.”
That chemistry could help in big matches and at tournament time.