TimesLeader.com

October 8
Powerful seasons run their course

Gerard Hetman Abington Journal Correspondent

ABINGTONS- With golf among the earliest of the fall sports to begin the season, local teams are looking back on successful performances for their teams and in many cases are gearing up for playoff matches on individual and team levels. The following is a look at each team in the coverage area and how they fared on the links this season.

Above, Abington’s Erik Meyer.

Abington Journal File Photo/Stephanie Walkowski

Above, Lackawanna Trail’s David Boslough.

Abington Journal Alice Stuffle

Abington Heights Comets

From start to finish, the Comets have enjoyed an outstanding 2008 season, with success on both the individual and team level. They opened the year with a tournament at Penn State that pitted the squad against more than 30 of the state’s best high school programs. Head Coach Mike Williams was all smiles after his team wrapped up the event in first place. It was a sign of good things to come.

For the second season in a row, Abington Heights would see all six starting golfers advance to the district individual tournament. On the team level, the squad put together a 21-1 overall record that saw the Comets shutout Honesdale in the district semifinals last week, and will pit the team against traditional powerhouse Scranton Prep on Wednesday in the district final. In reflecting on the season to date, Williams was quick to praise his starting lineup of senior Joe Karam; juniors Conner Coldwater, Brian Mahlstedt, Luke Peterson and Sasha Nelson and sophomore Erik Meyer.

“We beat Honesdale 9-0 to advance to the district finals,” Williams said. “Connor and Luke both birdied and eagled their last two holes, and Joe gave us great senior leadership to fight back and preserve the shutout. I’m excited for all of these guys in both the team and individual playoffs.”

Lackawanna Trail Lions

Lackawanna Trail finished with a 7-8-1 overall record and a loss to Dunmore in the team portion of the district playoffs, and the Lions will send two golfers off to the individual district tournament, with senior Colin McAndrew and sophomore David Boslough taking part in this week’s action at Fox Hill Country Club.

“Those guys play a bunch of different courses every week -- it’s hard to find a pair of golfers who prepare better,” Head Coach Harry Powell said. “They are both tremendous competitors and I think they have a great shot at advancing to regionals.”

Looking back on 2008, Powell was also quick to mention the play of senior co-captain Kaitlin Van Fleet in the team’s success. “She worked her way into almost all of our matches and was always playing from the men’s tees, but still turned in some great results and always gave us a boost.”

While the season may be over for the Lions as a team, Powell is already excited for 2009, after a strong showing this season from junior Michael Harris, who will serve as a captain next season and pair with Boslough to give the team a solid nucleus. “Michael impressed us a great deal this year- he’s a strong leader and is going to be a key player for us.”

Lakeland Chiefs

The Chiefs finished with an overall record of 4-6, and the squad will be sending one golfer to participate in the individual district tournament in the form of freshman standout Taylor Reeves. Also, Head Coach Gary Phillips was quick to praise the talents and contributions of the squad’s senior members. “Those guys gave us great leadership all season long. Each of them has a fantastic future ahead of them,” Phillips said of his seniors.

When asked about the highlights of this season, Phillips was quick to point to a road win at Forest City as a breakthrough moment for the team. “Forest City is one of the toughest teams in our league to beat at home; it’s always difficult to win on their course and for our squad to pull it off this season was a fantastic accomplishment.”

While the Chiefs will lose several seniors, Phillips is looking forward to next season, with Reeves joining current sophomores Joe Pryle and Sean Price on the links after strong showings from the underclassmen in 2008.

“We’ve got a lot of young players coming up who are hungry for success,” Phillips said of the team. “We had some good moments this season and are looking for more of the same.”