HALFMOON — Charlie Greiner and Carter Sica of the Saratoga Springs varsity boys golf team have each clinched their spots at the 2024 NYSPHSAA Boys Golf Championships in June, earning top-nine finishes at the Section 2 State Qualifiers last week.
Greiner placed eighth overall, while Sica placed ninth. The 2024 championships will be Sica’s third trip to states, and Greiner’s second. Head coach Jake Zanetti said that it was meaningful to see the pair advance to yet another state tournament, saying both golfers “showed some toughness” to earn their spot.
“Carter had a very difficult opening nine holes, shooting a 43. And then for him to grind out a 39 on the back to end up qualifying, ultimately, showed a lot of grind and grit and toughness out of him,” said Zanetti. “Charlie Greiner, in a similar situation, with only four or five holes left to play, he birdied 14, which is one of the toughest holes. … Then he had a great shot on 17, which is where he said it basically sealed the deal for him as far as qualifying.”
Now the duo will have plenty of time to prepare for the state championships, which begin June 2 at the Mark Twain Golf Course in Elmira. Zanetti noted that Greiner and Sica have months to work on their game, and added that both having prior state experience can prove beneficial.
“So they’ve now had the experience of going, and now they can put that away, and go out there and compete,” Zanetti said. “They’ve got … seven more months of training to get under their belt in anticipation of states in June. Them buying themselves that much more time to improve their games is huge. They could be that much better come June.”
Greiner and Sica’s finish at state qualifiers comes after the Blue Streaks placed second as a team at the Section 2 Championships, ending their bid for back-to-back sectional titles. But despite the finish at sectionals, it was still a remarkable year for the Blue Streaks’ squad, going 14-0 in the regular season and winning the Suburban Council Championships as a team.
Zanetti emphasized the depth of the team this year, noting that although the Blue Streaks were only allowed to bring six golfers to the section championships, all nine members of the varsity roster qualified for sectional play. Thomas Bundy, Charlie Blake, and Cole Whitman also advanced to the state qualifiers for the Blue Streaks this year after strong finishes at sectionals.
“We were very strong, one through nine,” Zanetti said. “Our nine guys could compete with anybody. We actually had to leave three kids off our sectional roster, even though they qualified.”
He noted that he hopes this rule will change at some point to allow all qualified golfers to attend the section championships. He also added the program had a “very strong” JV team this year, and also started an unofficial modified team to allow more kids an opportunity to play.
“We want to keep the numbers pumping for Saratoga golf,” said Zanetti.
Looking forward, the Blue Streaks’ coach said he is excited to travel with Greiner and Sica to states in June, saying, “It’s always a fun trip.”
“It’s a bonding experience for the boys, among the Section 2 team. It’s great for all the other coaches to get together,” Zanetti said. “We’ve got some really good coaches in Section 2 that get to shed their wisdom on boys from other teams, which is kind of a rare thing. It’s a fun all-around trip.”
