BEDFORD, NH – There are many factors going against the Manchester Memorial High School golf team each season.
Light participation, lack of practice time and having to compete against the state’s top golfers and teams are just a few challenges head coach Kyle McDonough and his young athletes face.
Yet those who played for Memorial his year– Luke Vattes, Ryan Boylan, Isaac Vachon, Cam Roberge, Tyler Cantin, Mason Fraser, Ben Watson and Trever Brown – and showed up and represented the Crusaders well each match, said McDonough.
And they did so once again to close the season Tuesday at Manchester Country Club in Bedford, one of the most exclusive golf courses in New Hampshire.
“A little bonus at the end,” said McDonough of Bedford High School’s home venue. “And that’s what I told them today, you know, look at the (sunny fall) day we have. We’re not going to win the state championship, so don’t worry about that. Just enjoy the day, play every shot, and that’s hopefully what they did.”
Memorial finished fourth in the match with 240 strokes (each team takes the top five individual scores), to Bedford (185), Pinkerton (203) and Merrimack (205).
Vattes, a senior, carded a top-five score for the match with a 39; and Roberge, Boylan, Vachon and Watson scored 45, 48, 53 and 55, respectively.
“As we’ve kept preaching, ‘golf is fun, you’re out here, enjoy it, because it’s going to go very quickly, ‘and they’ve gone out there and done the best they could,” said McDonough.
While most Division-I programs have a full team of players competing for eight spots on the course each match, plus a whole JV team from which to develop and pull from when needed, Memorial competed with exactly eight golfers this season and even had to play one match shorthanded due to sickness among some of the players.
“We have some pretty quality golfers, we just couldn’t put a full team together all the time,” said McDonough.
In addition to being light on players – something McDonough says he’s working to rectify – the Crusaders also have to compete against teams with significantly more playing experience.
Indeed, many teams around the state have regular access to driving ranges and courses on which they’re able to practice and improve each day, however, Memorial shares a home course – Derryfield Country Club – with Manchester Central, Trinity and Derryfield School.
“Derryfield (Country Club) is really generous, but they can only be so generous,” said McDonough. “We’re not going to be able to get practice every week, so I tried to get us out there when I could, and they were very accommodating, but the kids need to get out there and chip and putt or get to the driving range on their own … you know, golf is a practice sport, so if you’re only out there once a week and then playing a match, it’s tough to get better.”
Though the season comes to an end for Memorial, as a team, Vattes and Boylan’s will each have a shot at individual glory as they compete against the top golfers from around the state at the Division-I individual championship at Beaver Meadow Golf Course in Concord on Saturday, Oct. 18.
“They were there last year, so they have some experience,” said McDonough. “Luke missed the cut by one stroke, literally on the last hole, and Ryan battled on a cold day and he hopes to improve on his score from last year, so hopefully the weather holds out and they both have an enjoyable experience.”
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