Clinched a share of M.L. championship and gained a berth in North sectional tournament
THE WARRIOR golf team was crowned Middlesex League Freedom division co-champions and the squad celebrated its accomplishment at the recent team banquet. From left to right are Justin Sullivan, Kevin Murray, Timmy Hurley, Stephen Marino, captain Dylan Melanson, captain Kevin Lamattina, Steven Melanson, Austin Collard, David Melanson and Mike Guanci.
By JIM SOUTHMAYD
WAKEFIELD — The 2014 Wakefield Memorial High golf team was among the best ever in school history to play on the links and this fall certainly was one to remember for the 10 Warriors that were on the roster.
Wakefield captured a share of the Middlesex League championship, posted the most wins it has in recent history and clinched a berth in the North Sectional tournament for the second straight year.
The Warriors finished with a 12-5-1 overall record which is the most wins dating as far back as 1987. Also, the Warriors finished with an 8-3-0 record in the M.L. Freedom division to earn a share of the league championship with Burlington.
In the Div. 2 North sectional tournament, Wakefield finished sixth overall and did the best of all the M.L. teams that qualified for that sectional.
“This is the first time the golf team has won a league championship,” said Coach Dennis Bisso, who has been the head of the golf team the past 15 years. “I checked the records as far back as I could, some I got from (Coach) Dave Tropeano. It was a great year and it was a lot of fun. The boys worked hard to improve their game and it was nice to see them reap the rewards of their hard work.”
The Warriors lost just one senior from the 2013 team and were still a relatively young team with five sophomores on the roster.
“We had a host of sophomores and it was pretty routine for them,” said Bisso.
The sophomores on the roster included Justin Sullivan, Austin Collard, Tim Hurley, David Melansonand Mike Guanci.
“Justin Sullivan was an alternate for us and we’ll look for him to contribute next year,” said Bisso. “Austin Collard was mostly an alternate last year and he worked his way up and played mostly at number six this year. He was one of the most improved golfers this year.
“Tim Hurley played at seven and eight last year but moved up and was primarily our number five player. He was one of the most consistent golfers and he helped push us over the top,” added Bisso. “David Melanson played at three and four but moved up to the number two spot by the end of the season. He was quite a competitor and he always would fight until the last hole.
“Mike Guanci is an outstanding athlete,” continued Bisso. “He’s great off the tee and he works hard. He played at three and four the whole season.”
The juniors included Kevin Murray, Stephen Marino, Steven Melanson and Dylan Melanson.
“Kevin Murray played his first year on the team and he was an alternate the whole season,” said Bisso. “Marino played at number eight and he was a three-year player for the Warriors.
“Steven Melanson played at number seven and he was tied for most wins on the season. He had 11,” continued Bisso. “Melanson, along with Guanci and Collard, were much improved with their play. They made a difference in a number of our matches.”
Dylan Melanson, a junior, was also a co-captain for the team and a Middlesex League Freedom division All-Star along with his cousin, David Melanson.
“Dylan Melanson played to the best of his ability. From the first week of practice Dylan turned it on and he became one of the best players in our league,” said Bisso.
The lone senior on the team was co-captain Kevin Lamattina. Lamattina, who was Wakefield’s number one golfer as a junior, struggled with injury this year and that limited his time and ability on the golf courses in the area.
“Kevin Lamattina had a back injury and he struggled in the 17 matches he did play in,” said Bisso. “He averaged a 44.1. He had seven wins and three halves for us. He played at number one and two but, because of the injury, we had to drop him down.”
It was quite a season for the Warriors as they posted the most victories since 1987 and they posted their best record in the M.L. since 1988. Wakefield also clinched their seventh North sectional berth since ‘87 and fifth with Bisso as the head coach.
“From top to bottom the improvement was immense,” said Bisso. “We were able to compete at the top of the lineup but the lower part of order made a big difference. The Thomson Country Club gave the kids a membership over the summer and five to six kids played over the summer. They were able to get their playing time in and everybody improved their game. That made a big difference.
“At the Middlesex League shootout, the three Melanson cousins played and Dylan and David shot a 78,” added Bisso. “In the North sectional tournament, we finished sixth and did the best of the Middlesex League teams that were there. It was a big boost for the sophomores and juniors that they got that postseason experience last year. They had some good scores on a rough day.”
The one contest that was disappointing for the Warriors was the final regular season match against Burlington. Had Wakefield prevailed it would have won the M.L. Freedom division championship outright. However, the Warriors lost the match that day at the Billerica Country Club as Wakefield and Burlington were the co-captains of the division.
“The Burlington match was tough. Burlington was a great team and they were undefeated at home,” said Boyages. “We knew it would be an uphill battle and Burlington came out with guns blazing. They were outstanding that day.”
There are also a number of people behind the scenes that Bisso wanted to thank for their help in supporting the Warrior golf program.
The first is Howie Melanson and Mel and Sons Oil for donating heating oil for a fundraising effort. Bisso also wanted to thank the Lamattina family for the gift certificates they donated to Caffe Italia in one of the fundraisers.
Bisso also wanted to thank the Head Golf Pro at the Thomson Country Club, Chris Young, for all his help including the junior memberships over the summer. Bisso said the workers at Thomson treated his team well. In fact, Young also gave the Warriors some tips on their games.
Bisso is looking forward to continue to playing home matches at Thomson and that is due to Young and Thomson CC president Joe McCarthy.
Wakefield also had four home matches at the Bear Hill Golf Club and Bisso wanted to thank the Board of Governors at Bear Hill and Pro Eric Stevenson for all their help as well.
“We certainly reaped the benefits,” said Bisso.
Lamattina is the lone senior on the team. The rest of the nine underclass golfers are slated to return next fall. The 2015 WMHS golf team could be even better next year.
