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04/24/2016 12:00 AMThe Guilford golf squad continues building for the future in its second season with Head Coach Dave Esteban, although the Indians have no plans to bill 2016 as a rebuilding season as they feature a talented cast of seniors.
Esteban returns to the helm for the Indians following a 2015 campaign that saw them finish 11th out of 20 teams at the Division II State Championship. On the SCC front, however, Guilford only had two representatives make the championship meet and so a driving focus for the Indians is to qualify for both postseason competitions as a group, while their players improve their individual games along the greens and fairways.
“Off the course, we want to have the sport bring out the personality and confidence of our players. We want them to not let things in the sport devastate you and then you accept it and get better from it,” said Esteban. “For the team, we want to qualify for SCCs as a team. Those that went last year said they wanted to have it so we have a chance to send more guys in the future, so they can enjoy the experience, which speaks to the selflessness of this group.”
Two seniors will captain Guilford this spring in returning captain and four-year varsity member Ethan Bedell, who qualified for SCCs last year; along with Aidan Kellaher, another four-year veteran who’s ready for his first stint in the captain’s chair.
“Ethan is one of our better players on the course and is consistent at the No. 2 slot for us. He goes out, performs, is a positive person, and leads by example. He is a quieter guy, but he is willing to say what needs to be said. He also helps the other kids get past a bad shot or hole,” Esteban said. “Aidan is an organizer that helps to make my job easier. He is immediately friendly with anyone he meets. He almost takes on an assistant coach-type role. He does a lot of the grunt work with coordinating rides to and from practices [and] matches.”
Backing up the captains are a quartet of fellow seniors in 2015 All-SCC Team selection Ben Fazzina, as well as Stephen Thibault, plus rookies Matt Clifford and Casey Huffman. It’s a versatile bunch in which each person brings his own unique element to the table.
“Ben Fazzina is a football player and multi-talented guy who is a solid golfer that will contend for the No. 2 and 3 slots. He’s a real pleasure to have on the team. Stephen has a hockey background and he brings some toughness to the team. Whether harsh weather or bad course conditions, nothing fazes him. Last year against Amity with snow, he shot his best round of the season,” said Esteban. “Matt is always looking to learn and improve, plus he is excited and pumped no matter what. Casey also comes from football and is new to the team. He’s a sponge to knowledge of the game. He is also a ferocious competitor.”
Within its junior class, Guilford will deploy four athletes in Sam Fridell, Brian Hao, Jordan Krause, and Jason Wilson. Rounding out the roster are sophomores James Marks and Brennan Kaisen.
“Sam was a part-time varsity/JV guy last year and we are looking for him to solidify a varsity spot this season. He is an even-keel, low-key guy who is a good bridge between the freshmen and sophomores and the seniors. We are hoping to have Brian on varsity more consistently. He is also a great student as a five-AP-classes type of guy who is a grinder for sure,” said Coach Esteban. “Jordan is a solid, first-year player who impressed during tryouts. James comes with a really solid game. He is good with wedged and putting. He may push for the No. 5 or 6 slots. James did JV last year. He will battle for varsity time and he is someone who everyone gravitates towards and playing more rounds can only help him. Brennan lets the game do the talking for him as he can also play in any conditions. He is accurate and I expect good rounds of golf from him.”
Guilford began its campaign with a 170-189 defeat to Hamden on April 19. The next day, Guilford took a 162-173 loss to Cheshire before a 158-193 defeat against Fairfield Prep on April 21. While the Indians are aiming to pose a threat to some of these top-tier conference foes, they’re also honed in on the usual neighboring rivals like Hand and Branford. With the added bonus his club is now back on its regular home turf at Madison Country Club, Coach Esteban feels confident that the Indians have the potential to drive themselves toward postseason prosperity.
“Hand is always a big one for us as we share our home course [Madison Country Club] with them. They are the team the kids want to beat and they have a great program. The same goes for Branford as you always want to win those border wars. We’d also like to compete with some of the better teams in the SCC, like Fairfield Prep and Notre Dame-West Haven,” Coach Esteban said. “We are looking to play well enough that, come postseason, we are going to tournaments as a team. We know have stability with a home course again since last year was difficult without that. Having that now really gives the kids confidence in that they know the course. It’s less about wins and more about improving and I’m already starting to see improvements.”
2016 Guilford Indians Golf Schedule
April 19: Hamden 170, Guilford 189
April 20: Cheshire 162, Guilford 173
April 21: Fairfield Prep 158, Guilford 193
Monday, April 25: vs. Shelton at 3 p.m.
Tuesday, April 26: at Amity at Country Club of Woodbridge at 3 p.m.
Thursday, April 28: vs. Amity at 2:15 p.m.
Monday, May 2: vs. Hand at 2:15 p.m.
Tuesday, May 3: at Notre Dame-West Haven at Racebrook Country Club at 2:45 p.m.
Wednesday, May 4: at Shelton at Brownson Country Club at 3 p.m.
Monday, May 9: vs. Hamden at 2 p.m.
Tuesday, May 10: at Cheshire at Farms Country Club at 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 18: vs. Xavier at 2 p.m.
Thursday, May 19: at Branford at Pine Orchard Country Club at 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 25: vs. East Haven at 2 p.m.