UPDATE #2 :
SPA CATHOLIC GOLF WINS SECTION 2 GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP!
For the 3rd consecutive year, Spa Catholic's Golf team has captured the Section 2 Class C/D Golf Title... The Saint's outpaced Hoosick Falls by a 345-367 margin... Three Spa Catholic Golfers (Drew Welcome, Terel Tillman and Colin Bradley) turned in scores which will advance them to the Section 2 ABCD playoffs at Orchard Creek Golf Club on Tuesday, October 13th!
Following the victory at the WAC Cup tournament last week, Drew Welcome was the medalist at that event recording a 77, and he was subsequently named the Most Valuable Player in the North division of the WAC. 1st team honors went to Terel Tillman and Peter Francomano while Colin Bradley, Emma VanDeCar and Chloe Ethier were named to the 2nd team as All-Stars.
UPDATE: Spa Catholic Golf won the WAC Cup tournament on Friday, October 2 at Stadium Golf Course in Schenectady. They won this event for the fourth consecutive time and was crowned WAC league champion for the third consecutive time. Spa Catholic’s score was 320 - in second place was Canajoharie at 359.
Spa Catholic Varsity Golf 56-0; 3+ Year Winning Streak
SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Central Catholic High School varsity golf team is poised to contend for a title for a third straight year, while riding a phenomenal 56-match winning streak. This unblemished record stretches back over more than three seasons.
Their latest victory in the streak came on Monday, September 28, against Galway (by a 13-2 score) to close out a third straight undefeated season. The top six golfers (Drew Welcome, Terel Tillman, Colin Bradley, Peter Francomano, Chloe Ethier and Emma VanDeCar) will be defending their two-time championship in the Western Athletic Conference’s WAC Cup tournament this week, and then proceeding to the Section II Class C/D sectionals next Tuesday, October 6, at Eagle Crest Country Club, where the Saints squad will also be looking for a third straight title.
Coach Dale Long is justifiably proud of his team and it’s accomplishments. “This is a great group of kids, most of them have been together for years now, and they have the ethic to play on their own, and with each other,” he said. “It’s not just that they work hard at it. They’re friends who genuinely like and support each other.”
“They are very capable of defending their title,” Coach Long concluded.
In addition to their spotless record, the Spa Catholic golf team has several interesting backstories. Their winning streak began with the last six matches of the 2012 season (their last loss coming on September 17, 2012) under Coach Mike Beson, who became stricken with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, otherwise known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”. Coach Beson courageously continued to jointly coach the squad with Coach Long in 2013, and together they guided the team through the first of three undefeated seasons, before Coach Beson’s untimely passing in October of that year.
“Dale’s done a great job with these kids,” said Stephen Ethier, Chloe’s father. “He’s too modest to say anything, but the parents know that he has done a lot behind the scenes – buying golf bags for some; working individually with them playing extra rounds on his own time when needed – that have helped to make this team so excellent.”
Coach Long also noted that among the squad’s top six players are two women – Senior Chloe Ethier and Junior Emma VanDeCar – who, in addition to more than holding their own on the links, are currently the top-ranked academic students in their respective classes. Ethier and VanDeCar are looking to continue their golf careers in the college ranks, as is Drew Welcome, a top golfer on the team who has advanced to the state tournament the past two years.
The Spa Catholic golf team is as deep as it is strong, which bodes well for their continued success in years to come. “I’m very proud of the fact that we have nine players on our squad with scores averaging 47 or below,” Coach Long said. “We are graduating four seniors, which can be tough, but we’ve built a strong nucleus.” He cited Terel Tillman as one example. Tillman is one of three ninth graders on the 2015 team, and a regular member of the top six that compete in matches against other high schools.
Something that was noticeable about each member of the team was the quiet confidence and overall joy they exhibited as they went about their warm-up routine before the Galway match. No winning streak pressure here.
Just setting a standard of excellence, and having fun doing it. This is what high school sports should be all about.
