NORTH READING — The Wakefield High golf team improved to 4-4 on the season with a 42-30 victory over Reading at the Thomson Country Club in North Reading yesterday. It was the second straight win for the Warriors after defeating Wilmington 46-26 on Monday at Hillview Golf Course in North Reading.
That win over the Wildcats snapped a four-match skid for Wakefield who started the season with two huge triumphs over Lexington and Melrose before falling to Belmont, Woburn, Arlington and Burlington.
“We had a tough week last week losing three matches,” said head coach Chris Keane. “We played decently well at Woburn but they outplayed us, plain and simple.
“We had probably our worst day of the season in Winchester and it just happened to be against two teams – Arlington and Burlington. We have a ton of talent, but we’re also super young, so we’re going to have some ups and downs.”
After getting a few practice days to reset, the Warriors went to work on righting the ship.
They won all eight of their individual matchups in a complete-team effort against Wilmington.
At No. 1, Patrick Maloney shot a two-under par (34 on the Par 36) to win 6.5-2.5.
Luke Greif shot a 39 to win 5-4.
Also winning 5-4 was Daegan Pothier at No. 3 with an identical 39.
At No. 4, Michael Yianacopolus won 6.5-2.5 with a 38.
Brayden Myette also won 6.5-2.5 at No. 5 while shooting a 37.
Jake Morris and Ryan McCarthy each won 5-4 at No. 6 and No. 7, respectively.
Ryan Dodge finished strong at No. 8 with a 6-3 win while shooting a 39.
It was the first varsity victories for Dodge and McCarthy.
“Wilmington was a big match for us to try and get back on track,” said Keane. “I credit the guys’ success to their preparation during the preseason when we played a practice round at Hillview to get to know the course. That really helped us in that match.
“Patrick, Michael, Brayden and Ryan Dodge all won by at least 3 and really opened up the score.”
The Warriors knew they needed their A-game to beat a strong Reading team yesterday and they did just that as they picked up a key victory.
“Reading is always a very tough opponent,” said Keane. “They’re well-coached by Jeff Nelson and their lineups are always deep.”
The Warriors used the knowledge of their home Thomson Country Club to their advantage against the Rockets. Known as a narrow course, Thomson can test even the best golfers if accuracy off the tees isn’t precise.
“We set a plan to hit irons off the tee and keep the ball in play,” said the coach. “The team stuck to that plan and it made all the difference in the world.”
Wakefield’s masters of the irons kept every matchup close while mixing in a couple of lopsided victories that accounted for the 12-point advantage.
Those wins belonged to Maloney, Greif, Pothier and Dodge.
“Our top groups set the tone yesterday,” said Keane. “When your top 3 come in up in the match by that much, it sets the tone for the rest of the groups.”
Maloney 37 at Thomson’s Par 36 certainly set the tone with a 6.5-2.5 win that was matched by his group partner Greif whose 6.5-2.5 came after a well-played 39.
Pothier at No. 3 and Dodge at No. 6 both won, 6-3.
There were three ties that also helped Wakefield not relinquish momentum.
Yianacopolus shot a strong 39 at No. 4 to tie, 4.5-4.5.
Also earning ties were Myette at No. 5 and Jake Morris at No. 7.
“In a week’s time we went from playing our worst golf to our best golf,” beamed Keane. “The kids are so motivated and resilient. They didn’t hang their heads after a tough losing streak – they got back to work. I’m so proud of how they fought through a tough stretch to come out even stronger.”
The Warriors will hope to keep it going today when they travel to Bear Hill Golf Course to meet Stoneham (3-3) at 3:45 p.m.
