By ADAM KAYE ‘17
Looking at the golf team’s roster this year, several new and unfamiliar names jump out. This is because this year’s Saint Ignatius Varsity Golf team is tasked with replacing a total of 11 seniors from last year’s 4th Place State Team. While the names and faces have changed, the goal still remains the same: to win states.
With this very new team, a new set of leaders have emerged, including Michael McCaffrey ‘18, Jake Moraca ‘19, and Hunter Rinkus ‘17. Filling out the next spots are an incredibly competitive group of young, talented golfers. The next three spots of the top six are separated by less than half a stroke in their average scores. This competitiveness from top to bottom is very important to Coach Becker, who has years of experience building state championship worthy teams. Nobody’s spot is guaranteed this year, as there has been constant rotation amongst the varsity team. Some of the players who have been rotating through the team have been Angelo Corna ‘17, Andrew Kaye ‘20, Owen Bilardo ‘18, John Klym ‘19, and Ryan Grabowski ‘18.
Coach Becker is also incredibly excited about the incoming class of freshman, the Class of 2020, which he believes “has the talent to be very special.” The class has alrea
dy proven its talent with 4 freshmen in the top 12 spots of the varsity team. The star freshmen from this class, Andrew Kaye, Ross Williamson, KJ Ripich, and Connor Warns, hope to replicate the incredible success of the Class of 2016 that they are replacing.
The lowest round of the year, a 70 at Redtail Country Club, has come from Michael McCaffrey, the team leader in average score. This team will continue to improve with scores like this, as well as with the continued development of this young lineup. This team has the talent and depth to advance to and compete for a state championship this year, which began with a 3rd place finish at Sectionals on October 3rd at Legacy Golf Course in Avon Lake. Michael McCaffrey again led the team with an impressive 73. Solid scores from Andrew Kaye, 79, Hunter Rinkus, 81, and Jake Moraca and Ross Williamson, who both shot 85, helped the team’s performance. The team will play next at Districts on October 10th at Pine Hills Golf Club, with a chance to qualify for the State Tournament on the line.
