By HockomockSports.com Staff

Home course advantage has always been a factor in Hockomock League golf, but this year more than ever, it could matter most.

The Kelley-Rex division looks to be a two-horse race with King Philip and Franklin vying for division supremacy while the Davenport has five legitimate contenders.

North Attleboro returns to the Davenport after the Hock’s most recent enrollment alignment and the Rocketeers could be the instant favorite in the division. Steve Nelson’s group features a lot of familiar faces and an influx of new talent has provided key depth in the lineup. North finished third in the Kelley-Rex last year and ended up eighth at Hocks without a golfer in the top 10. 

Three of those four Rocketeers are back to highlight this year’s roster: senior co-captains Tyson Laviano (37.1 average last year) and Ishan Kohli (39.6) along with junior Caiden Alberigo (39.1). That trio along with junior Matt Reilly (42.9) have a lot of experience playing at Heather Hill, where North went 6-2 last year with its only two losses to KP (by one stroke) and Franklin (by four strokes. Sophomores Evan Sawyer (42.6) and Thomas Manning have cracked into the North lineup while freshmen Maxx Zides and Lincoln Frisoli have impressed early and could be instant contributors. Seniors Cody Boutilier, Ryan Sawyer, and Sara Maciejewski will provide key depth and could factor into the scoring in any given match. 

If North is hoping to dethrone two-time Davenport champions Oliver Ames and fend off fellow challengers Canton, Foxboro, and Mansfield, getting wins on the road will be important, but that’s certainly easier said than done.

The Tigers went 6-0 against Hock teams at home last year at Pine Oaks and one of the biggest differences between first and second place was their early season win on the road at Blue Hill Country Club against Canton. Oliver Ames will feature a lot of new faces in the lineup this year in search of a three-peat after graduating all but one of their top golfers from last year. The good news is the one golfer back is senior Braden Shapiro, who took first place at the Hockomock League championship meet last year. 

Shapiro, a team captain, will be among the top golfers in the league and will look for some support from co-captain Jordan Diaz as well as seniors Colin Costello, Patrick Dolan, and Anthony Rhodes. Junior Brendan Teehan has varsity experience and should factor into the scoring in most matches while freshman Matthew Drohen could provide important scores right off the bat.

Canton took a step forward last year but finished in third place behind the Tigers and Hornets. With a strong group of golfers, the Bulldogs are aiming to throw their hat back into contention for the Davenport title, which they won five years in a row from 2017 to 2021. Senior Huck McCready has been a consistent top scorer over the past couple of seasons and will be joined by classmate and fellow Hock All Star Travis Thomas, giving Canton a strong 1-2 punch at the top. 

“Both have improved immensely since last season and look to again be top golfers on our team,” said Canton head coach Mike Barucci of his top duo. 

Juniors Teddy Shuman and Joey Ryan were both a part of the starting line a year ago and will be counted on to contribute to each match. Beyond that group, Barucci believes he has six to eight golfers that will battle it out for the remaining four spots in the lineup.

“A lot of new faces this year with a lot of talent should help us compete with anyone in the league,” Barucci said.

Mansfield came up just one match shy of repeating alongside Oliver Ames at the top of the Davenport. While losing some key starters to graduation the Hornets are intending to contend once again this year. Senior Brendan Vokey is a returning Hockomock League All Star and will rank among the top golfers in the league. Head coach Chris Hall is going to lean on his senior class to help set the tone, especially as his squad is on the road for five of its first six matches, including visits to division rivals OA, Canton, and Foxboro. 

“This year’s team is fun to be around,” Hall said. “The majority of them are multi-sport athletes, primarily playing hockey in the winter. Noah Kahan’s hit “Stick Season” must have really motivated the hockey team to continue their ways in the fall. They are determined and know how to win. We are extremely excited to get the season underway and look forward to competing in one of the toughest conferences in the state.”

Senior Declan Foley, one of the top defensemen in the league on the ice, is joined by captain Hayden O’Connor, who has four years of varsity experience, along with Enzo Simonelli and newcomer Thomas Gormley, who could make an instant impact. Junior Chase McDonald and sophomores Chase Jordan, Owen Adams, Gavin Garnett, Austin Ferlazzo, Eddie Kiernan, and Anthony Diieso will all look to contribute throughout the season. 

The dark horse in the Davenport race could be Foxboro. Fresh off an impressive third-place finish at Hocks last year, the Warriors return the majority of their lineup after graduating just two seasons. On top of that, Foxboro might have the best home course advantage as they play at the always-challenging Foxboro Country Club.

Junior Zac Georgantas had a breakout season a year ago that culminated in a second-place finish at Hocks, just one shot off the lead at Thorny Lea. That momentum carried into the spring and summer as Georgantas made it to match play in the Mass Junior Amateur Championship in addition to winning the Foxboro Country Club Championship. His experience, especially at home, will help make the Warriors a threat in the division. 

Captains Dan Jacobs and Ryan Wood will lead the way alongside Georgantas and that duo has been consistent scorers in the past. The addition of four freshman and junior transfer Colin Trimble has bolstered the depth for Foxboro. 

Rounding out the Davenport, Stoughton will look to make some strides forward under second-year head coach Ryan Kilday. The Black Knights have one of the most challenging schedules, playing each of the five Davenport teams twice along with a visit to two-time Kelley-Rex champion Franklin. Stoughton sophomore Gavin Alexson is back after a strong rookie year and will be a key contributor throughout the year along with fellow captains Fred Spintig and Aidan Lewis. Lewis has joined the squad this year and has made a strong impression early. Freshman Kyle Bunker and Major Harding headline a strong group of freshmen that will help carry Stoughton in the right direction. 

In the Kelley-Rex division, there’s been very little separation between rivals Franklin and King Philip at the top. Two years ago, the squads each won at each other’s course and ended up splitting the title; last year they split with each team winning at home but a late slip from KP at Milford handed the Panthers their second straight crown. 

Franklin has a strong senior class looking to make it three in a row this fall. Seniors Liam Lewandowski and Caden Sullivan are the Panthers’ top duo, both talented and consistent players who don’t have many if any weaknesses out on the course. The senior class is complemented by Jack Nelson, who finished in the top 10 at Hocks last year, as well as Cameron LaBrie to give Franklin four seniors who will likely score in most matches. Depth will be key for first-year head coach Dan “Bo” Botelho, who comes to Franklin with a boatload of experience in the game including as an assistant at Brown University. Senior Carter Balducci, juniors Rocco Lampasona and Dylan O’Brien, and sophomore Tyler Perlman will all contribute for the Panthers while sophomore newcomer Ben Burgess is one to keep an eye on. 

“I am extremely excited about my team and the upcoming season,” Botelho said. “We have a great mix of seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen who all will have a chance to contribute this year.”

King Philip is eager to get back to the top of the division and is already off to a strong start, setting a new team course record at Stone-E-Lea in Attleboro in the opening match of the season. The Warriors took third at Hocks last year and have three of their top four golfers back hoping to improve on that finish. Two-time Hock All Star Evan Regan is poised for a big year after showing improvement in each of the last two years and senior Cam Hasenfus, who was a league all star in 2022, is a consistent scorer in the lineup. Junior Jason Silva had a terrific sophomore year after averaging 38.3 and should be a major factor.

Beyond that returning trio, King Philip will feature some new faces but head coach Myles McHugh has been very pleased with the hard work the golfers have put in during the high school offseason. With six players averaging under 40 in the preseason, there’s a lot of internal competition that could propel KP to the top. 

“Every school on both sides of the Hock continues to improve,” McHugh said. “After our first full week of tryouts it is obvious that the underclassmen put a lot of work in the offseason.”

Milford had a very strong year, one of their best since joining the Hock, but will look to some new faces in 2024. The Hawks graduated a talented senior class, including three of their four top golfers who competed at Hocks. The lone returner from that group is senior captain Zach Hipolito, who will look to use his short game to help keep the Hawks in contention. Senior captains David Fleming and Robbie DeGasperis are two other returners from last year and will be looking to lead the way throughout the 2024 campaign. Senior Sean Prevelige and sophomore Lucas Richard round out the small group of returners for the Hawks, who will look to newcomers senior Joe Butler, junior Ricky Nashawaty, and sophomores Ryan Flis and Luke Fraunfelter to contribute to the scoring. 

Sharon is new to the Kelley-Rex division and boasts a young team with just three seniors. That means some inexperience early on, especially as the Eagles travel to some courses that none of the golfers have played on yet. After losing six starters, it’s a bit of a reset but head coach Thor Van Vaerenewyck will lean on senior co-captains Josh Binder and Ethan Spracino, who both picked up some valuable playing experience last year. Juniors Benny Hertzel and Shaun Fireman have impressed early on this preseason while sophomores Kuvum Suppal and Sarah Scappaticci will look to build on some of their varsity experience from last year and become consistent contributors. 

Attleboro and Taunton are both looking to build in the right direction but enter the year with opposite rosters. The Bombardiers lost five players from last year with just a handful of returners, highlighted by senior captain Chris McMahon and senior Jacob Bettencourt. Head coach Mark Bonneau will lean heavily on that duo while senior Matt Silva and juniors Cam Elliott and Tyler Veronesi have the potential to take the next step forward to help the Bombardiers compete. Meanwhile, the Tigers only graduated one player from the roster so the goal is to have an improved season. An influx of new players has helped create some depth and some internal competition, and head coach Brad Koneski has two solid leaders in senior captains Alex Dias and Noah Faidell, who both competed at Hocks last year.