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Gaining Key Varsity Experience Crucial for Big Red’s Success

The Greenwich High School boys' golf team, a squad with no varsity experience to start the spring season, finished runners-up at this year's FCIAC tournament.

July 9, 2021

By Paul Silverfarb

The Greenwich High School boys' golf team, a squad with no varsity experience to start the spring season, finished runners-up at this year's FCIAC tournament.
The Greenwich High School boys’ golf team, a squad with no varsity experience to start the spring season, finished runners-up at this year’s FCIAC tournament.

This past spring season, the Greenwich High School boys’ golf team had to chart some very unusual waters. And that’s in addition to navigating a season during COVID-19.

For the first time in his over two decade tenure as head coach of the Cardinals, Jeff Santilli had a roster full of rookies. Literally, no one on the team had any varsity experience heading into their first match of the season.

Instead of declaring it a rebuilding year, Santilli dedicated the season to constant improvement. And by the end, GHS was a few strokes away from claiming its fifth consecutive FCIAC championship.

“It was a great season,” Santilli said. “They were very young and inexperienced, but by the time they got they got to the postseason they basically put everything that we asked them to do together. We just fell a little short. In 22 years of coaching I have never started a season where not one kid had varsity experience. All five kids got to play in a varsity game for the first time on the first day.”

And with constant improvement, both mentally and physically, Big Red took to Fairfield’s Fairchild Wheeler Black Course for competition in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference championship. Although it wasn’t the magical ending that GHS was hoping for, as New Canaan High School took home the FCIAC title for the first time since 2015, it was Big Red that placed an impressive second place.

Greenwich finished with a combined score of 307, seven strokes better than third place Darien High School. The Rams had a match to remember and came away with a combined score of 302.

Greenwich was paces by Charles Schrohe, who along with New Caanan’s Cullen McCarthy, finished as a co-medalist and took home a 2-over par 73. Not to be outdone was Owen Duda, who carded a 3-over par 74. Luke Scanlan and fellow teammate Matias Lew ended the day with a 9-over par 80, while JT Spadone rounded out the scoring for Greenwich High with a 17-over par 88.

“New Canaan put up a great number during FCIACs,” Santilli said. “I didn’t think we would break 310 ourselves. My goal was 320, to be honest, and when we shot 307, I was pleasantly surprised. They exceeded my expectations. It was a great year. In all the years at Greenwich golf, we have always had a varsity starter back from the previous year, but not this year. So to finish runner-up in the FCIAC was a great accomplishment for us. It was well done by the boys.”

During the CIAC Division I championships, which took place on June 7, Greenwich took home a top 10 finish, netting seventh overall with a combined score of 318, three strokes better than fellow FCIAC foe Staples High School. Leading the way once again for GHS was Schrohe, as he tied for second and shot an even 72

“They were a solid group of kids,” said Santilli. “Honestly they were one of the nicest groups of kids that I have ever had the pleasure of coaching. They were very supportive of each other, and their work ethic was there. They see a new season in the fall and with a little practice we can do some good things hopefully. They might be young, but they are hungry for a title.”

Having such a solid season didn’t seem so realistic when the season kicked off in March. Since Big Red was so inexperienced and didn’t have a returning athlete from the varsity roster, Santilli made the decision not to have captains this year.

“Before the first swing of the first match, every kid was a rookie,” Santilli said. “We really didn’t feel like anybody deserved the role since no one really had the experience to take that role on.

Big Red started the preseason with two seniors that Santilli picked from tryouts for the first time.

“They never played golf before, but because of COVID they started picking up the game,” he said. “And props to them for making the Greenwich High golf team one year into picking up the sport. I also had two juniors come back that played a little bit as freshmen at JV and a sophomore and freshman first timer on the team.”

For Santilli, it was all about course management and being disciplined for his young flock of Cardinals, as that was the team’s main focus during practices and most of the matches.

“By the end of the year they really started understand how to get themselves out of difficult situations and work on managing the course better,” the head coach said. “There was a lot of risk taking in the beginning and it cost us a lot. They finally understood what the JV and varsity coaches were trying to teach them. Sometimes you just have to take your medicine and at the end they showed that growth.”

As far as the physical part of the game, Santilli said that the short game definitely needs some improvement. He added that his team definitely did a better job by the end of the season with the mental part of the game.

“I think we are in a good spot because they now understand what I look for as a coach,” Santilli said. “I let them play and intervene when I need to, whether it’s calming them down or getting their heads where they need to be.”

One of the biggest changes that Greenwich, as well as every other golf team in the state of Connecticut, has to deal with is that the offseason is going to be short. Very short. The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference has moved the golf season from its spot as a spring sport to the fall.

After finishing the season in mid-June, there’s no rest for the weary because GHS will kick off its fall season Aug. 16. Santilli says that there are more positives than negatives, such as the weather should be nicer throughout the entire fall season. However, the head coach also has some concerns heading into the season.

“I am nervous about course availability, and only because of COVID,” Santilli said. “Otherwise, I think we would be in a good position. This decision was made before COVID hit, but now you can see the popularity of the game and how much people are on the course and improving their game. Scores are much lower and there has been more time for people to improve.

And Santilli expects his team’s scores to drop as well, as he told his players that he wants them playing in any and all tournaments they can find this summer.

“That way they will be battle tested and used to playing in big situations,” Santilli said. “It’s always good when you can improve your competition play. Honestly, there’s no excuse for them not to be playing in golf tournaments all summer. I always ask if we have golfers or if we have people who play golf. You have to have a passion for the game to improve. If the kids don’t play this summer, they are showing me that they don’t care enough to be a part of that starting lineup. To me, the starting lineup is a bunch of kids that really go out there and practice all summer to make sure that their spot is secure.”

Although the Greenwich High boys’ golf team is considered a work in progress, Santilli couldn’t be happier to be in the position that he’s currently in.

“I told people before the season that this was going to be one of my more pleasurable seasons because not one kids has had experience,” Santilli said. “I got to truly coach and share my experiences over the years and guide them to become varsity players. That’s exactly what happened. They looked at me for guidance. It was great and I am hopeful that we will not miss a beat when we start up again in the fall.”

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