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07/28/2018 12:00 AMEven though the Guilford golf squad didn’t hoist any postseason hardware this spring, the Indians’ athletes still gained a lot of confidence after putting together an excellent regular season and the experiencing the excitement of competing in the postseason.
Head Coach Dave Esteban’s club posted a record of 18-5 during the 2018 regular season. Guilford just missed out on winning an SCC Division II title by placing behind Shelton, although the Indians still qualified for the SCC Championship as a team. Guilford finished in a tie with Cheshire for seventh place at SCCs by shooting a collective score of 341. Then at the Division II State Championship, the Indians concluded their campaign by scoring a 349 to finish in a 12th-place tie with Branford.
Coach Esteban said that several of his golfers brought a great deal of experience to the links this season. Guilford’s experience helped the team go on an early hot streak that made the Indians believe they could achieve big things.
“Most of our guys were returning guys from the previous year...We had a run of five wins in a row, and I saw both the individual and team confidence grow. Teammates would always be there to pick other guys up,” said Esteban. “We just missed it last year, so one of our goals this year was to make it to SCCs as a team. They saw the success we had throughout the year and enjoyed it.”
The Indians featured a five-man senior class that was led by captain James Marks, who finished off his four-year career with the program by winning Guilford’s Most Valuable Player Award. Fellow seniors Austin Hitchcock and Anthony Avallone completed their second seasons as varsity golfers with the Indians. Josh Krause joined the team for his senior year, while Austin Fix was named Guilford’s Most Improved Player following his senior season.
“To watch James develop as a person and player was outstanding. He was consistent and was a great leader for our guys and helped our younger guys learn how to play competitive golf. He was calm and reassuring, and the guys gravitated towards him,” Esteban said. “Anthony could shoot a low score and was always having a good time. He worked on his game and demanded a lot of himself. Austin made sure everyone was having fun and they had rides to and from matches. Josh was a great teammate and good about letting things like a bad round go. He was always happy for the team. Austin was a driving range rat and was a hard worker.”
The Indians stood on the cusp of earning their coveted berth into the SCC Championship as the end of the regular season approached. Guilford earned it by turning in one of its best outings of the year in a win against Notre Dame-West Haven. After that, Guilford faced Shelton in a match that wound up deciding the SCC Division II champion. Although the Indians lost that contest, they quickly shook it off and got ready to play in the SCC meet.
“James was able to tell the guys how great of an event the SCC Championship is, and we were on the bubble of making it when we faced a good team in Notre Dame. Everyone shot their lowest rounds of the year, so we then knew we had SCCs. We did it against a very good team and the guys rose to the occasion,” said Coach Esteban. “We faced Shelton on the last day of the regular season for the division. We lost the match, but it was good because there was no hangover effect, and they bounced back at SCCs.”
The Indians will have some voids to fill after graduating five seniors from this season. However, Coach Esteban feels confident that his underclassmen will step up, led by Noah Kosh and 2019 captain John Kosh, who both recently finished their sophomore years. Esteban also expects a few other young golfers to continue making strides and help Guilford enjoy more success on the course next year.
“There will certainly be some transition on the roster. Both Kosh boys have promising futures. The freshmen will be trusted with getting better by next March, and they all have the ability to become varsity golfers,” said Esteban. “Shea Thibault and Shane Markle are two freshmen who consistently put in rounds. Peter Keanna is a lefty with a beautiful swing. Eve Young got a hole-in-one at Guilford Lakes Golf Course. I’m also hoping that others will show up for tryouts after hearing about how much fun we have on this team and how fun it is.”
From the Sidelines
This was Dave Esteban’s fourth year as head coach of the Guilford golf squad.
Guilford’s victories came this year against Law (179-189 and 157-177), Branford (180-188 and 182-183), Lyman Hall (182-189 and 174-183), North Haven (182-211 and 162-180), Foran (178-185 and 155-199), Amity (177-188), Cross (162-250), Career (162-251), Hillhouse (162-186), Shelton (168-170), East Haven (158-224), Morgan (182-197), and Notre Dame-West Haven (154-176).
The Indians also took losses versus Hamden (172-180 and 163-176), Hand (159-182 and 161-176), and Shelton (155-163).