JUNIOR Thomas Galvin was recognized with the coaches award and freshman Jack Ryan received the team MVP award at the recent WMHS golf banquet. From left to right is JV head coach Kyle Blanchette, Tommy Galvin, Jack Ryan and Varsity head coach Chris Keane.
Published in the December 5, 2017 edition.
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — The WMHS golf team recently held a banquet to officially complete their scorecard for the 2017 season. The Warriors said goodbye to three seniors (Ty Drago, Matt Auld and Jake Nardone) and two captains while voting for two new leaders and giving out team awards. The new captains for the 2018 season will be Tom Galvin and Juliette Guanci.
Head coach Chris Keane gave the team MVP award to freshman and Middlesex League All-Star Jack Ryan, who played in the top spot consistently for Wakefield, which is the word that coach Keane uses to best describe him.
“Jack is so consistent,” said Keane. “He shot a 4 over par or better in every match throughout the second half of the season.”
Keane admitted it can be a dangerous game giving the team MVP to a freshman, but he is confident that Ryan will continue to push himself to get better throughout the next three years.
“He’s so dedicated,” said Keane. “He deserved it.”
Tom Galvin won the coaches award for Wakefield as his passion for the game and commitment to the team earned him the nod from the coaches.
“Tommy is our most reliable player on and off the course,” said Keane. “If there was ever a message I needed to get to the team like a practice time change I would go to Tommy first. If we had a day off he would still go work on his game. He sets a good example for everyone on the team to follow.”
He wasn’t the only one. Wakefield will graduate three seniors from the 2017 edition, while only two played as captain Jake Nardone missed the season with an injury. Coach Keane said seniors Ty Drago and Matt Auld showed the younger players what Wakefield golf was all about, whether it was how to dress for a match or how to react and keep your composure after a good shot or a bad one. The two certainly brought a level of professionalism that the younger Warriors will hopefully replicate.
“Matt and Ty were great in terms of leadership,” said Keane. “All season long, they were two kids that the underclassmen felt like they could look up to.”
At the start of the season, the main goal was to gain experience for a young team. With four freshmen in the regular rotation throughout the season, it is safe to say that plenty of Warriors got a chance to prove themselves and pick up some valuable lessons that only experience can provide.
“We had a lot of success in terms of the younger players gaining experience,” said Keane. “They learned the scoring, rules and how to play under pressure during big matches.”
While Wakefield’s 3-10-1 record might look discouraging, they had five matches decided by four points or fewer, which coach Keane described as just one or two putts. Some more promise for the future is the success of the JV team, which went 7-2 this season.
Coach Keane said the goal next season is to contend for a league title. The combination of many good golfers set to graduate throughout the Middlesex League, and razor-thin match losses for a Wakefield team that will no longer be described as inexperienced, means the Warriors will be primed for a big jump in the standings.
