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06/15/2023 09:11 AMFollowing a very successful regular season record at 12-3, the Hand boys’ golf team had to settle for a share of the SCC title. Yet one week later in competing for a state crown, the Tigers had a determinative and championship-caliber drive that demonstrated they would not be denied an outright and solo spot in the winner’s circle.
At the Division II State Championship on June 6 at Fairview Farms Country Club, the Tigers clawed their way to the top with a team score of 306. Hand undercut and under swung runner-up Killingly, who tallied a round of 318, and RHAM–right on the heels of Killingly with a 319. Tolland (with a 320) and Stonington (342 for its day) rounded out the top 5.
“After our last guy in, [senior captain] Reece Scott, left the course, we held a lead of eight shots,” said Head Coach Jim Holleran. “Since scores usually go higher as the round progresses, there was a feeling of guarded optimism. Soon, the lead had moved to double digits, and all of the guys felt that the championship would be ours. It was a tiring day, as the wind was blowing and the greens were very fast, so it was a subdued but joyful celebration.”
The crown marks the second state championship for the program in three seasons, the third title since 2019, and fifth overall. All of Hand’s state championships have come in Division II, with the Tigers taking top honors in 2012, 2013, 2019, and 2021 previously.
“It is great to bring another title home for Hand,” said Holleran. “We try to promote and strive for excellence in our program, and it is rewarding to win a title and receive the feedback that all of the hard work that the players have put in is so worthwhile.”
Junior Kasimir Lesnik paced the Tigers’ day by shooting a 75–finishing just three strokes off the pace of match medalist Holden Sullivan of RHAM, who shot an even-par 72. He tied for second among individual showings with Tolland’s Max Baldwin.
“I think that since the start of the season, we knew that we definitely were an amazing team this year, and that is something our coach did nothing short but remind us of,” said Lesnik. “A lot of the boys were down after sharing the SCC title last week, because we all knew that we could have done better. So, the next week consisted of a great amount of practice; we had boys who went back to their home courses after SCCs to work on their game. We had boys golfing practically every day, and everyone knew that we all really wanted to take home the state title.”
Senior Jonathan Dolph also shared the fourth-place spot thanks to his round of 76–drawing even with Bradley Sawka from Ellington and Killingly’s Logan Gagnon. Scott joined the four-way tie for the fourth spot with a 76 as well.
“We had our ups and downs all season, but we were able to get into a groove by the end of the season,” said Scott. “The team was supportive and shared in each other’s successes, so we had a really good team environment. We strived to get better all year, so winning today allowed us to feel that all of our hard work paid off. It feels great to end my high school career with an SCC and state title. I was able to be part of the state championship team in 2021 after COVID took my freshman year, so I am very thankful that I was able to start and end it with a state title. I am lucky I was able to be part of a great program with a great team.”
Freshman Kyle Beaudry was also in a four-way deadlock for 11th place with his 79 alongside Cam Seiffert of Killingly, Law’s Jaden Archuleta, and then Conner Rabbitt hailing from RHAM. Lastly, senior Matt Gagliardi tied for 44th thanks to his scorecard of 91 with Suffield’s Sean Plourde.
“We definitely set this as a goal and knew we could do it,” said Beaudry. “We just played well. I think we all knew that we earned this and worked hard for the victory, so the feeling was very rewarding.”
Completing the top 10 team standings on the day were sixth-place finisher Ellington, who earned a tally of 327, Branford in seventh (342), Suffield right back of Branford in eighth (353), plus Watertown (362), and Norwich Tech (370).
“I felt very good going into the SCC Tournament, and I also thought we had a chance today. It was daunting to have four teams ranked ahead of us at the state tournament, but I felt if we could get all of the guys to play their best today that we could come out on top,” Holleran said. “We did have four very strong scores today: 75, 76, 76, and 79. Jon Dolph playing in the five position and shooting 76 was huge for us. Kasimir shooting 75 and finishing as runner-up in the tournament was also very big. I expected Reece to play well and he did. It is not easy being a captain and playing at No. 1, but Reece was up to the task. Kyle struggled at times in his round, but he finished strong to record a 79.”
On June 10 at the State Open Championship at Black Hall Golf Club, Scott shot a 77 to tie for the 10th place spot, and Lesnik finished 28th with a round of 94.
A week prior to states on May 30 at the SCC Championship at the Farms Country Club, the Tigers shot a collective score of 315 for their round to earn a share of the conference crown with Cheshire. The tie at the top marked the Tigers’ first SCC crown since 2019, as Hand was also runner-up to Fairfield Prep in 2021–missing out on a title share on that occasion by a stroke (323-324).
On that day, Scott and Lesnik each made the All-SCC Team. Scott paced the Tigers with a round of 74 for the par-72 course, and then Lesnik was not too far behind in the clubhouse by turning in a scorecard of 76. Scott was only five strokes off the pace of match medalist AJ DePaolo, who earned a three-under-par 69. Beaudry (shooting an 80) and Gagliardi (sporting an 85) also contributed to Hand’s success on the day.
Rounding out the team standings were Xavier in third with a score of 322, Amity in fourth at 325, plus Branford found fifth with a team round of 330. Additionally, Shelton was sixth (331), Notre Dame-West Haven finished seventh (335), Guilford came in eighth (with a 336), and North Haven nailed down ninth place at 349.
“I thought from day one that we would have a very good team, possibly a great team this season. We struggled at times this season to have more than two guys play great golf on the same day,” said Holleran. “I kept pushing the guys to improve and they responded. As the season neared its close, I could see the players start to put in extra time working on their games and noticed them really focusing on their games. As I said to the players when the bus arrived back in Madison, ‘This is perhaps the highest praise I can bestow on a team: you fulfilled your potential. I knew you could be a great team and you went out and became that great team.’”
The 2023 Hand boys’ golf team roster is comprised of seniors in Dolph, Gagliardi, Scott, Owen Stuart; juniors of Cameron Becker, Lesnik, Nicholas Osterling, Maxwell Singewald; sophomores with Michael Marino, Matthew McManus; and freshman Beaudry.