At long last, after months of debate, high school sports will be back in game action this weekend. And the Bishop Fenwick golf team will be kicking it all off when they host conference foe Archbishop Williams Saturday at The Meadow At Peabody Golf Course.
“We couldn’t be more excited to open up the North Shore sports schedule for this fall,” said Crusaders coach Jim McHugh. “The excitement has been high among the kids and we’re all ready to go.”
The Crusaders are coming off a solid season in 2019 that saw them finish 8-4 and put forth a strong performance in the Division 3 North tournament. The Fenwick team shot a total score of 63-over 351 at Sandy Burr Country Club, finishing fourth overall and just missing the cut for the Division 3 state tournament. Jake Murphy and Tom Estella were the top 2 finishers among Fenwick players in the individual Division 3 North tournament, but both have since graduated and left the team.
However, there’s a solid threesome returning to the tee box this fall in team captains Cade Buckley, Gavin Belt and John Bennett. McHugh has been struck by the leadership qualities his veteran group has expressed in the early part of the season.
“These guys have come right out and shown that they’re capable of being strong team leaders,” McHugh said of his trio of captains. “They’ve already done some really positive things in terms of keeping kids focused off the course and also helping the younger guys with things on the course. It’s been great to watch.”
In addition to the captains and the other returning players, Fenwick has seen a big increase in participation during the tryout period. Players from Fenwick’s football and basketball teams — unsure about the prospects for their own seasons — have come out to try and compete for the golf team.
“It’s been great to see so many kids coming out for the team, and selfishly it certainly helps us,” said McHugh. “I think the addition of all these kids will really bolster our lineup and make us a deep team, which hasn’t been the case in the past.”
As for practice time, Fenwick has been making the most of it. After getting the go-ahead to return to practice at the end of last week, the Crusaders have made it out for rounds at The Meadow a few times as they prepare for Saturday’s season opener.
“We’ve gotten a lot of work in considering the circumstances,” said McHugh. “We’ve really been focusing on the basics early on, just keeping the ball in play and playing smart golf. A lot of the guys have been practicing all summer, so we have a bit of a head start in that sense.”
Fenwick opens the season Saturday afternoon (3:30) against Archbishop Williams at The Meadow at Peabody Golf Course.