Trio keeping Shore in swing of things
BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer

While not quite ready to label his team ready to compete for a division title, veteran coach Mike Whitacre has high hopes for his Shore Regional golf team nonetheless.

The Blue Devils, who compete in the Shore Conference's Class B Central, return three seasoned starters from last year's 8-7 squad and look forward to making another run at the state tournament this spring.

"We graduated one starter from last year and have three returning, all seniors," said Whitacre, now in his 10th year coaching the team. "Bryan Sebak has been our No. 1 for three years now. He had the best nine-hole shot average last year. He's not overly strong [off the tee], but he has good course management and is a very good all-around golfer."

Kevin Smith is the team's second returning starter.

"Kevin hits the ball far off the tee; he's a longer hitter than Bryan," Whitacre said. "He has decent course management but is very even-tempered on the course, which is good.

John Kessler is the third senior starter for the Blue Devils after cracking the lineup last year for the second straight season.

"John is a big guy, about 6-3, and he hits the ball far as well," the coach said. "He probably has the best natural swing on the team, and really excellent mechanics."

The fourth spot is held by senior Justin Geiger, while the fifth and final spot is up for grabs.

"There are multiple guys who can fill that spot at this point," Whitacre said. "Junior David Frank, sophomore Dylan Porter and junior Darragh Harten are fighting for that spot. Sophomore Matt Tagerty is also in the mix there."

While the Blue Devils return plenty of talent this year, Whitacre is not quite sure his team measures up with the two top teams in the division.

"St. Rose is the team to beat," he said. "They have a terrific No. 1 in [senior] Andrew Hurley, who will be playing for Monmouth University next year. They have three three-year starters back altogether. Rumson-Fair Haven is No. 2. They're always good, always competitive.

"Everyone else in the division [Shore, Point Beach and Mater Dei] is in the hunt for that third spot," he added.

Rather than dwell on the divisional race, Whitacre's squad is instead concentrating on qualifying for the state tournament once again. To do so, they'll need to have at least a .500 record on May 5.

"We're looking to improve on the 8-7 record of a year ago and stay above the .500 mark," Whitacre said. "This group of seniors has qualified for the state Group II tournament the last two years, and we hope to get back there this year. We finished 12th last year in Group II."

Next week (April 19) Shore will compete in the Monmounth County Tournament at Hominy Hill in Colts Neck. As far as qualifying for the individual performances, Whitacre cautions against making any bold predictions.

"We haven't had anyone qualify individually since Derek Byzinski did it in 2001," he said. "They'd have to play better than last year's nine-hole averages, but anything's possible.

"We strive for team success first and foremost. It would be a nice thing if any of them could qualify [individually], though," he added.

The Blue Devils opened their season on Tuesday against Middletown North and were back in action yesterday against Neptune. Today, they face a stiff challenge when they take on Rumson-Fair Haven at Old Orchard (the Blue Devils' home course in Eatontown) at 3:15 p.m. The Bulldogs opened their season in style by capturing the team title at the Wall Invitational, held April 2 at Shark River Golf Course.

It was a balanced effort from the Bulldogs that allowed them to capture their first title under head coach Craig Stoll. With junior Dan O'Connor leading the way with a 79 (good enough for fifth overall following a match of cards), freshman Sam Warshauer (ninth with a 79), senior K.J. Mazurek (13th, 81), and junior Will Hewitt (86) helped RFH accumulate a score of 325, three stroke ahead of second-place Wall.

St. Rose finished in fourth place (behind Marlboro) with a score of 334, led by Hurley, who won the individual title.

The strong finishes by RFH and St. Rose did nothing to shake Whitacre's belief that the Class B Central is among the Shore's top divisions.

However, he's confident his team is ready to compete each and every time out.

"They've been great," he said. "We've had the opportunity to play three times a week for the last three weeks at Old Orchard."

This week, however, the scores count.