By Paul R. Silverfarb
Only a few months have gone by since the Greenwich High School boys’ golf team finished their spring season and head coach Jeff Santilli already pleased with the progress his team has made during the start of their fall campaign.
For the first time as head coach of the Cardinals, Santilli had a roster full of rookies last season. Getting back onto the field for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down their 2020 spring season, no one on the team had any varsity experience heading into their first match of 2021.
Taking the FCIAC runner-up trophy last season and gaining a bunch of varsity experience, this year’s team, with everybody back from last year’s squad, is looking to continue its steady climb back to the top.
“I have a nice core group of returning players that all competed last spring for the first time,” Santilli said. “They are a good group that have been working hard at improving their game.”
And this year has yet another first for Santilli. Coming back from summer vacation, Big Red immediately returned to the golf course, as boys’ golf throughout the state has changed from a spring sport to the fall.
“The greens are healing nicely from the fall aeration and the fairways are pretty firm,” Santilli said. “We never really see the course in such good shape because, let’s face it, in the spring the grass hasn’t even grown in yet. By the time we get into mid-May, the grass is just starting to pop. In the fall, the courses are going to be in their best shape.”
He also added that, in his opinion, it’s been a really good transition from the summer golf season to the fall and that there are newcomers to the sport that would normally be competing in baseball, rugby, lacrosse, tennis, or another spring sport.
“The tryout process was much more efficient and the pace of play was great,” he said. “The scores have been better. You’re starting to see the scores throughout the league much lower than they were at the start of the spring season. By this point of the season, it wouldn’t be until mid- to late May where we would see scores like this. You’re seeing so much steady play right out of the gate this fall because we are coming off the summer where kids play golf all the time.”
While it looked like the start of the fall season would not be ideal, courtesy of two powerful storms that swept through the Nutmeg State and caused massive flooding, it surprisingly didn’t harm the golf courses.
“Honestly it really didn’t affect our schedule,” Santilli said. “The only match that we missed was last Thursday against Westhill. And we could have played on that day but I figured we could find a better day. What people don’t understand is that our scoring average on the course on that day gets us into the state championship because they use your handicap. Obviously you would rather play on a sunny, dry day than a wet, windy and muddy condition. The rain was actually beneficial for some of the golf courses. All that rain actually healed up some of those aeration schedules and sands on the greens.”
Leading the way for Greenwich this year are senior captains Luke Scanlan and JT Spadone. Both are seniors that have been on the team since their freshman year.
“We are looking for some guidance from them,” said Santilli. “They need to be positive leaders and help me out both on and off the course. There were times where some of the kids didn’t play that well and were disappointed, but the captains were there to pick them up.”
Two more golfers that were around last season and will be looking to dominate are Charles Schrohe and Owen Duda. Santilli said that Schrohe, a junior, understands the physical and mental aspects of the game and that Duda, a sophomore, played in every match last year.
“Charles is going on to play in college to play golf and plays a lot of local circuits in the area,” the head coach said. “Owen is an athlete in other sports, but he’s really starting to realize how good he is in golf. He definitely played in a bunch of summer golf tournaments and it shows. My top four haven’t missed a match in two years.”
The Cards have a bunch of golfers that are looking to crack that top six spot. AJ Eisland has been steady right out of the gates at tryouts. Jack Hopper, Drew Stamos, and Dylan Harris have all played five or six on the varsity roster at some point. Brandon Yu has been shooting well recently and is looking to see some varsity action as well.
“The kids at the JV level need to understand to be patient,” said Santilli. “They also need to realize that if they put the work into practice, do what they are asked to do and start shooting the numbers the that we need, we will give them the opportunity to play. Golf is really a numbers game. You put up the numbers, you deserve a chance to play in the lineup.”
And on Tuesday, Greenwich High School showed Santilli what they are capable of. Against Fairfield Ludlowe High School, Big Red picked up the victory by firing a team tally of 148. Schrohe led the way by shooting a 36, while teammates Spadone and Duda each took home a score 38. Scanlan netted a score of 38, while Harris (45) and Stamos (46) rounded out the scoring for Big Red.
“I was very pleased with their play today,” Santilli said. “But it’s not unexpected because this was what the caliber of golf that we can play. We were finally on our home soil and finding a course that we are comfortable with. It showed in the results.”
While Santilli likes the way his team has been improving their game during practice, he still believes that they could do a bit more.
“I still don’t think we are maximizing our abilities yet,” Santili said. “I think we could spend a little more time on the weekends when we are away from the team fine-tuning our skills. There’s only so much we can do during the week. As coaches, we ask the kids to put the time in. You’re only going to play your best golf when you’re practicing hard. If you don’t put in the extra work it’s going to show, whether it’s chipping or putting, iron play or tee game. The lack of effort will definitely show.”
Greenwich will certainly need that extra practice to help battle through the highly competitive FCIAC this season. As of press time, Greenwich is ranked the fourth best team in the state of Connecticut. Glastonbury High School is ranked the top team in the state, with New Canaan ranked second. Staples is the third-ranked team and Wilton High School rounds out the top five. Fairfield Warde is currently sixth in the state, with its cross-town rival Fairfield Ludlowe in seventh. Darien is ranked eighth.
“The FCIAC is going to be really tough to compete in this year, as there are so many teams that are really strong,” Santilli said. “We just need to keep on putting in the work and getting better and more confident on the course every day.”
