The Saint Ignatius golf program returned to the course this weekend and immediately returned to form.
With Saint Ignatius Golf given the green light to continue its season due to the non-contact nature of the sport, the Wildcats competed on Saturday and on Monday. The results show the immense talent of the program.
The Varsity Blue Cats won the Archbishop Moeller Invitational on Saturday and the Hudson Explorer Invitational on Monday, while the JV Cats won the Brunswick JV Invitational on Monday.
So far this season, every tournament the Wildcats have participated in, they've won. That's incredible.
The Varsity Blue squad's return to the course on Saturday was a triumphant one. The men of PJ Myers '99 roared to a team tally of 292 at the Archbishop Moeller Invitational.
Topher Reed and Nick Piesen led the way for the Wildcats with top-notch scores of 72 on the afternoon. Bradley Chill nipped at their heels all day, as the red-hot freshman ripped off a score of 73. Sean Hoagland continued his incredible jaunt to start the year, with a mark of 75 at day's end.
The Wildcats team score of +4 placed them a whopping seven strokes ahead of the second-place St. Xavier Bombers (+11). Defending state champ Dublin Jerome snagged third with a tally of +13.
The top team continued its run on Monday at Hudson's home invitational with more remarkable scorecards from the Wildcats.
This time, Connor Malicki anchored the squad with a gnarly score of 72. Talk about a great start to the year for the sophomore. Chill continued his outstanding run, tying for the team lead with a dynamite tally of 72.
Piesen was no slouch, either, carding a 74 on the day. Reed and Hoagland tied for fourth, as each fired off 75's at the Country Club of Hudson.
As a team, the Wildcats shot a 293, five strokes better than the second-place finisher, St. Charles of Columbus. Perennial state contender Archbishop Hoban rounded out the top three at +11.
Meanwhile, the JV Blue team practically set the Coppertop Golf Course on fire. Tom Bogen's troops played like men possessed in winning the Brunswick JV Invitational with a team score of 302.
That's a varsity-level score, not a JV score.
The Wildcats' JV youngsters all did well on the course, but Michael Van Etten stood out above the rest. The junior marked down a marvelous score of 69, with a scorching-hot 33 on the back 9. Van Etten won medalist honors for the day at -1.
Domenic Pilla rolled in a similarly dynamic fashion, soaring to a round of 74 for the day. Ethan Hughes played a major role with a nice 77. Frankie Adamo and Artie Reginelli each did well, posting marks of 82 and 83 in beautiful Valley City. Charlie Medvin rounded out the pack with an 88.
The Wildcats will be in action again this week – stay tuned for updates.