
For the first time, high school boys golf teams are playing in the fall. The 2021 fall campaign began Tuesday.
WEST HARTFORD, August 31, 2021 – The fall high school sports season began on a Tuesday afternoon in August on the golf course.
Fifty-two boys golf teams from around the state, including Avon, Farmington, Lewis Mills and Simsbury, will be playing golf in the fall instead of the spring. In a decision last spring, the CIAC’s Board of Control gave schools the choice of playing boys golf in the fall or the spring.
Thirteen teams from the Central Connecticut Conference chose to play in the fall along with the FCIAC, Southwest Conference and the Berkshire League. Teams in the Southern Connecticut Conference, Eastern Connecticut Conference, North Central Connecticut Conference, Shoreline Conference and the remaining teams in the CCC will play in the spring.
Girls golf will continue to be in the spring.
Some coaches and schools have lobbied for golf in the fall for quite some time. Some of the advantages of playing in the fall are better weather, more space on the course in the fall compared to the spring and better course conditions.
Practice for boys golf began two weeks ago and Tuesday was opening day with Avon earning a four-stroke win over Hall-West Hartford at Rockledge Country Club. Lewis Mills, who was second in Division III in the spring, dropped their first match of the fall campaign with a 176-193 loss to Northwest Catholic at Wampanoag CC.
Avon High coach Josh Glick is beginning his 22nd season leading the Falcons. He didn’t offer a preference of playing in the spring or the fall.
“It’s the first time I’ve coached in the fall,” he said. “I think that is a question that I can answer better once the season is done. You don’t know until you get through it.”
The Falcons have just one starter returning from last spring’s team that finished sixth at the CIAC Division II championship meet – sophomore Blake Barrett.
“For this season, my expectations are to get better and (have the kids) enjoy themselves. Let’s see how we’re doing a month from now. How much can we improve from today to our next match on Thursday. How much can we improve in our next match after that?”
Junior Nathan Gaul and senior Colby Niemarch, who played baseball in the spring, were in the starting lineup on Tuesday. Look for Robbie Blackwell, Matt Ricapito, Steve Westerick and Nicklas Burkler to get playing time in matches.
“It’s a young team,” Glick said.
Avon will be in the challenging CCC West with Farmington, Conard, Lewis Mills, Simsbury and Southington. The Falcons will be hosting their own Avon Invitational on Friday, Sept. 17, at Blue Fox Run.
The CIAC will host a pair of state championship meets on Monday, October 18 with Avon in the Division II meet at Silo Point in Southbury. The final regular season meet can be no later than October 13.
Gaul shot a team-low 39 in Tuesday’s season-opening win on the par 36 course at Rockledge with Nemarich shooting a 40 in his varsity debut. Barrett shot a 43 with Blackwell rounding out the top four with a 45 as the Falcons outlasted the host Warriors by four strokes, 167-171.
Medalist Matt Ganey of Hall shot a two-over-par 38 for the low score of the afternoon with teammate Kevin Brown shooting a 39.
Mills has two starters back from last spring’s silver medalist squad – Aidan Carrano and Eli Pelleiter. Carrano had a team-low score of 46 on Tuesday at Wampanoag with Pelletier shooting a 47 in a 17-stroke loss to the Lions.
Northwest Catholic’s Tanner Ostop and James Mullarkey shared medalist honors with a 41.
Avon returns to action on Thursday when they host Simsbury at Blue Fox while Mills travels to Farmington on Thursday to face the River Hawks at Tunxis Plantation.
Tuesday Aug. 31 results
BOYS GOLF
Avon 167, Hall 171
Conard 168, Simsbury 169
N.W. Catholic 176, Lewis Mills 193
Southington 166, Farmington 168
Avon 167, Hall 171
At West Hartford
Avon (167) Blake Barrett 43, Nate Gaul 39, Colby Nemarich 40, Robbie Blackwell 45, Matt Ricapito 49
Hall (171) Matt Ganey 38, Kevin Brown 39, Adam Ezouski 47, Ben Puzzo 56, Jimmy Malone 47
Medalist: Matt Ganey (H) 38 on the par 36 at Rockledge CC
Records: Avon 1-0, Hall 0-1
N.W. Catholic 176, Lewis Mills 193
At West Hartford
Lewis Mills (193) Eli Pelletier 47, Aidan Carrano 46, Jacob Hall 49, James Bolleyer 54, Liam O’Sullivan 51
N.W. Catholic (176) Tanner Ostop 41, Ben Hall 44, James Mullarkey 41, Evan Wilson 50, Arjun Mantripagada 53
Medalist: Tanner Ostop and James Mullarkey (NW) 41 at Wampanoag CC
Records: NWC 1-0, Lewis Mills 0-1
Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.


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