THE 2024 LHS golf team is off to a 2-0 start with wins over Amesbury and Rockport. (Courtesy Photo)

 

 

By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI

LYNNFIELD — Last season was a very memorable one for the Lynnfield High golf team as the Pioneers went a perfect 12-0 overall and 11-0 in the Cape Ann League to capture the CAL Kinney Division title.

In the Division 3 North Sectional on at Stow Acres (North Course), they just missed qualifying for the state finals by one stroke coming in fourth place overall.

This season, there is a big turnover on the roster as they lost 10 seniors from that team including four starters.

The only four players back are the other four starters. Three of them are the senior captains, Paul Daley, Owen Doherty and Brady Field.

The fourth player back is junior Drew George.

Tryouts started for seventh-year head coach Mike Moresco back on Aug. 19 as he had to make some cuts due to all of the kids who tried out.

Lynnfield actually opened the season before school even started as they played their first match on Aug. 27. Their first day of school was the next day, Aug. 28.

In that match, the Pioneers defeated guest Amesbury, 183-136, at Sagamore Spring.

The Cape Ann League uses the Stableford scoring system where you get six points for a birdie, four for a par, two for a bogey and one for a double bogey.

The top six scores account for the team total.

Lynnfield was led in scoring by Daley, who was a CAL First-Team All-Star last fall, as he had 36 points playing out of the number-one slot. Doherty, playing at number two, had 34 points while Brady Cole had 32 playing the seventh slot.

“Brady exceeded my expectations,” said Moresco, about the sophomore who was on the junior varsity team last fall. “He was ready to go.”

In the second match of the season, also at Sagamore on Aug. 29, the Pioneers beat Rockport, 159-119.

Daley had 33 points and Doherty had 29. Cole was third again with 26.

Sophomore Cam Dembro scored 25 points along with Field. Dembro was on the junior varsity team last year as a ninth-grader.

“A lot of our players on the junior varsity team last year, would have been on the varsity in most years,” said Moresco. “But we had such a strong team last season there was no place for them.”

On Sept. 4, the Pioneers host Pentucket at 3 p.m. The next day they stay in town as they take on host Essex Tech at Reedy Meadow. That match will begin at 3:30 p.m.

Lynnfield will then have a big match on Sept. 11 as they go to Rowley County Club to face Newburyport.

The Clippers will be the team’s toughest challenge in the league this year according to Moresco.

“We gave them their only loss in the league last year,” he pointed out. That match will start at 4:15 p.m.