The Northampton golf team doesn’t need any extra motivation. The Blue Devils have been one of best, if not the best program in Hampshire County over the past several years. They know they have a target on their backs, and that alone is the only incentive they need.
But now, Northampton is coming off a season where it finished as runner-up in the Western Massachusetts Division 1 Tournament to Minnechaug, and battled to the very end of the Suburban League East season with blossoming rival Belchertown.
“Rivalries in high school sports are as fresh as the teams are good,” Northampton head coach Robert Boulrice said. “Belchertown is a team that snuck up on us early on in the season, and they beat us. We ended up last season as co-league champions. I’m sure they’re looking forward to us the same way we’re looking forward to them.”
While Boulrice, a longtime assistant at NHS, is taking over the head spot this fall, he is inheriting a very talented team led by brothers Galen and Reilly Fowles.
The Fowles brothers are terrific players who have been at the forefront of the Blue Devils’ successes since arriving at Northampton. That included leading the club to a western Mass. championship in 2021.
According to Boulrice, the team’s top two golfers require little to no coaching.
“There’s not a whole lot of coaching that needs to be done with the Fowles,’” Boulrice said. “With the Fowleses, I get them to the matches on time, give them two new Titleist [golf balls], and ask them if they need any tees — that’s about it.”
On top of being two of the better golfers in the region, Galen and Reilly are also standout personalities. The way they go about their business has been a joy for Boulrice — who has been a part of the Northampton program for several years — to watch.
“They have their own individual goals, and just observing them pursue those goals is a very enjoyable thing,” Boulrice said. “The boys are so well-rounded, and it’s a delight to be around them. They’re both scholars, they’re just the most wonderful student-athletes to observe. I listen to them when they describe the various technical things they are trying to improve in their games, and it’s a treat to see that unfold.”
Aside from Galen and Reilly, the Blue Devils have three other returning players with plenty of match experience. Seniors Ben O’Connor and Gus Fallon, along with junior Jack Carpenter, are expected to be large contributors this fall. Because the five of them — including the Fowles brothers — are no stranger to high expectations, they don’t feel added pressure heading into 2023.
“I suppose there would be pressure if you acknowledge it,” Boulrice said. “This group of players is just really confident and very optimistic. We’re looking forward to a good season. We have five players coming back who had a lot of match experience last year.”
While Northampton’s expected dominance is nothing new, the Blue Devils — along with the rest of Western Mass. teams — will be playing under a new format this season. In the past, teams could choose between playing either match play or stroke play. This year, every team is to use stroke play in matches, taking the top four scores and combining them — low score wins. Boulrice doesn’t see it as a problem because of the depth of his team.
“It’s a fundamental change,” Boulrice said. “But we’ve been very fortunate, as long as I’ve been around, to be very deep. We have a lot of players, and that helps us. We’ll do our best in that format. I have a sense that Northampton is in pretty good shape in terms of depth. We’ll tee it up and play any format that the league wants us to play.”
The only drastic improvement Boulrice plans to make is in Northampton’s preparation for the Western Mass. and state tournaments. Those two tournaments are generally held at more difficult courses than a regular season match, and are also 18-hole events rather than nine.
“The goal, of course, is to make it to state,” Boulrice said. “That’s one goal. Another goal I have for the team is that perhaps we’re a little better prepared this year than we have been in the past. The state tournament is a real challenge. You go through an entire season playing nine-hole matches, then all of a sudden you go play a championship course for 18 holes. You have to be prepared for that. That’s an overarching goal.”
Northampton
COACH: Robert Boulrice, first year
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Suburban East/1
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 16-1, Suburban East co-champions, second place in WMass Division 1 championship, state tournament qualifier
RETURNING PLAYERS: Seniors — Galen Fowles, Gus Fallon, Ben O’Connor, Dev Patel; Juniors — Reilly Fowles, Jack Carpenter, Avery Nakashian
NEWCOMERS: Juniors — Brett Baranowski, Jamie Fowler; Sophomore — Reed O’Connor; Freshmen — Larson Simon
Amherst
COACH: Carl Vigeland, eighth year
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Suburban East/1
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 9-11
RETURNING PLAYERS: Seniors — Roka Gould; Sophomores — Ben Scott, Oliver Hansell
NEWCOMERS: Juniors — Nate Ziomek; Sophomores — Owen Howard
OUTLOOK: The Amherst golf team is going to look a little bit different this season than veteran head coach Carl Vigeland is used to. The Hurricanes lost their best golfer, Piet Hartman, who was their only state qualifier. Amherst’s roster consists of only five players in 2023, including two newcomers. Vigeland is hoping those newcomers and younger players can gain some valuable experience to prepare them for years to come.
Belchertown
COACH: Matthew Stenuis
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Suburban East/1
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 15-1, Division 2 WMass champions, eighth in state tournament
RETURNING PLAYERS: Seniors — Henry Poissant, Cal Orzech, Tyler Marino; Juniors — Jared Haynes; Sophomores — Michael Murray
NEWCOMERS: Seniors — Christopher Wood; Juniors — Brady Jolly, Daniel Hulmes
OUTLOOK: Belchertown was nothing short of spectacular in 2022. The Orioles didn’t lose a single match until their very last one, dropping a 12.5-11.5 contest to Northampton (the teams split a pair of regular season matches). Led by seniors Henry Poissant and Cal Orzech, Belchertown is primed to make another run at a title. Junior Jared Haynes and sophomore Michael Murray are also both capable of shooting very good scores this season. Belchertown has only eight players on its roster, but they are more than good enough to turn in low scores for the Orioles. With their combination of veterans and newcomers, look for them to be right back at the top once again this year.
Easthampton
COACH: Chris Abild, first season
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Bi-County East/2
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 2-9
ROSTER: Juniors — Anthony Torchia; Freshmen — Evan Kalin, Nico Francis, Maeve Lorring; Eighth Grade — Amelia Gryber, Angelo Torchia, Alenna Shapleigh, Mikel Aubrey
OUTLOOK: The Eagles are in the midst of a rebuilding phase, and first-year head coach Chris Abild is ready to take over at Easthampton in 2023. The Eagles roster is heavy on underclassmen, with junior Anthony Torchia being the only player who is a sophomore or older. With everyone likely on board for at least two years, coach Abild’s main priority will be building chemistry and getting his younger players comfortable with playing in pressure situations.
Frontier
COACH: Dave Blanchette, third season
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Suburban West/2
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 7-7, 13th at Western Mass Division 2 Tournament
ROSTER: Robert Fuqua, Gabe Solodky, Cade Allenby, Cam Skiffington, Porter Hall, Matthew Sibley, Melaina Winston, Ryan Cetto, Noah Nichols, Addy Wood, Griffin Casey, Tyler Galensky, Cameron Johnson
OUTLOOK: Cetto was the No. 1 for the Redhawks and will likely be in that role again this fall. Skiffington and Wood were contributors last year who should take another step forward this season.
Hampshire
COACH: Dan Korpita, 11th season
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Suburban West/2
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 13-5, eighth at Western Mass. Division 2 Tournament
RETURNING PLAYERS: Seniors — Owen Lech; Juniors — Camden Jarosz; Sophomores — Pryden Messier; Freshmen — Brayden Fennessy, Leo Florek, Nico Johnson
NEWCOMERS: Seniors — Tim Florek; Juniors — Robinson Agresto, Asthon Lashway, Zach Phakos; Freshmen — Cole Boissonneault, Riley Florek, Colin Westcott; Eighth Grade — Declan Butler, Colby Cabrini, Aaron Cellura, Jacob Moran, Malcolm Todd, Colton Shadrick; Seventh Grade — Joslyn Sexton
OUTLOOK: With a heavy dose of returning players from last year’s squad, Hampshire is poised to repeat its success from 2022. The Raiders went 13-5, and have talent like senior Owen Lech, sophomore Pryden Messier, and freshman Brayden Fennessy all back and with more experience. Despite being a very young squad that holds seven middle schoolers and six freshmen, Hampshire can still make a run at a league title. The large group of underclassmen will be able to learn from the four juniors and two seniors on the roster — which bodes well for head coach Dan Korpita and the future of his program. Hampshire won its opener on Tuesday against Westfield Tech.
Hopkins Academy
COACH: Mark Krodel, ninth season
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Bi-County East/3
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 0-12
RETURNING PLAYERS: Seniors — Christian Ciolkos, Tyler St. Hilaire; Eighth Grade — Siddarth Parmar
NEWCOMERS: Seniors — Liam Flynn, Cooper Beckwith, James Burke, Yuuki Ishida, Julian Gaudette; Juniors — Jack Dyjach; Eighth Grade — Laney Crutch; Seventh Grade — Ryley Regan
OUTLOOK: Last season, Hopkins had a very small team and struggled to consistently field enough players each match. This year, however, the Golden Hawks won’t have that problem. Thanks to several players coming over from other sports, Hopkins has plenty of depth with 11 players on the roster. Captains Christian Ciolkos and Tyler St. Hilaire are the oldest returning members, and will serve as co-captains in 2023. Alongside their two captains, the Golden Hawks have five other seniors joining the mix as well. One player that may certainly make a lot of noise is Ryley Regan. Although she is only in seventh grade, Regan has a ton of talent. She shot an even-par 36 at the Ranch in Southwick during a match scrimmage back on Aug. 23. Hopkins has the perfect combination of solid returning talent and hungry newcomers.
South Hadley
COACH: Jason Bourque, third season
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Suburban East/2
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 11-5, finished ninth in WMass Division 2 tournament
RETURNING PLAYERS: Seniors — Bennett Allen, Jack Maziarz, John Viola; Juniors — Matthew Blaser, Jameson Webber, Miller LaRochelle; Sophomores — Ryan MacGregor, Caiden Drohan, Justin Moskal
NEWCOMERS: Seniors — Dylan Kent-Molina; Juniors — Taylor Rogers; Sophomores — Luke Guiel; Freshmen — Ryley McMahon
OUTLOOK: South Hadley turned in a very respectable 11-5 season a year ago and finished ninth in the Western Mass. tournament. The Tigers since said good bye to three starting seniors, giving the opportunity for younger players to step up and fill those gaps. One of those younger players will be Ryan MacGregor, a sophomore who is one of the best golfers on the team. South Hadley also has four seniors this season who provide strong leadership for the rest of the group. Bennett Allen and John Viola are two of those seniors who also have terrific talents. The Tigers hope to build off their strong 2022 season while also developing the handful of players who have more golf to play after this year.
