43
Boardman’s boys golf team working on perfect year
By Steve Wilaj
BOARDMAN
It’s no joke that the Boardman High boys golf team is a perfect 18-0 this season. There’s nothing, from the outside looking in, that’s funny about its success.
But within the Spartans’ group of five golfers — Ethan Thomas, Brian Terlesky, Cade Kreps, Bobby Jonda and Cole Christman — there are jokes.
There is a level of playfulness that coach Ron Moschella believes helps his team, which hopes to earn a state tournament berth this morning at Pine Hills Golf Club in the Division I district tournament.
“They like each other, they’re a little crazy and they’re having fun,” Moschella said. “They haven’t taken the fun out of the game and it’s not all serious. I think that’s what makes them good, too.”
The other factor is that the Spartans can flat out golf.
In sectional competition on Oct. 6 at Tannenhauf Golf Club, Boardman recorded a team score of 302 to place first and break a 33-year-old course record. Terlesky, a sophomore, and Christman, a freshman, each shot 74 to lead the way. Thomas, a senior, and Kreps, a sophomore, both shot 77.
And you can bet the All-American Conference, Red Tier champions enjoyed themselves along the way.
“We stayed pretty positive through the round and it helps that we have good team chemistry,” Terlesky said. “We just have fun doing it. It’s not serious all the time. It’s more fun and free-flowing.”
It wasn’t all fun last season for the Spartans.
Sure, the three sophomores played on varsity as freshmen as Boardman lost just two regular-season matches and split the conference title. However, the young Spartans — as well as Thomas, then a junior — didn’t play well in sectional competition, missing the district tournament cut by 10 strokes.
But with another year of experience, Christman in the fold and having already conquered their sectional blues, the Spartans have high hopes.
“Last year we had the talent, but I don’t think we quite had the mental strength or experience to make a run like we do this year,” Jonda said.
Added Kreps: “We’re ecstatic for districts. It’s been such a phenomenal year. We’ve all been looking forward to this and hopefully we’ll give ourselves a chance to go down to Columbus.”
Moschella said Boardman put itself in this position by testing its skills in six invitational tournaments throughout the season. The Spartans won five of them — shooting a high of just 311 and a low of 282 at Tippecanoe Golf Club in Canfield.
“It’s been pretty amazing because you don’t expect this type of success when you’re a freshman,” Christman said.
“But we still haven’t finished yet.”
And if Boardman continues to shoot like it has all year, its fun has a good chance to continue into the state tournament at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course in Columbus on Oct. 23-24.
“We all could improve [from sectionals],” Thomas said. “We made some silly mistakes throughout the round. But we were happy we made it and now we’re ready for districts.”