By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
The Amherst High School golf team continues to ride an unbeaten streak in this, its third year of golf competition, and is second in the Central Wisconsin Conference.
Four years ago, Amherst began offering golf as a club sport, said Amherst co-coach Tim Harvey, then it started competing as an official sport two years ago and joined the conference last year.
This year, all five varsity players from last season returned.
"We thought we would have a good season because we had everybody back," said Harvey, admitting he's been surprised by the success. "Needless to say, we are getting outstanding play."
Junior Brian Piotrowski has been the leader on the team, generally capturing medalist honors, including a two-over par 74 at Sentry World on Tuesday.
Usually Matt Clinton and Jeremy Sherf follow behind him and then Jeff Cloninger and Andy Harvey.
"They're doing great right now," said Pete Sippel, the other co-coach. "They're working real hard with each other and working to make the other golfers better."
That effort, he said, shows because various golfers have claimed medalist honors in different meets.
Not far behind the top five is the junior varsity squad. Mike Borgen had been the fifth golfer last year but got off to a bad start this year before starting to come around, Tim Harvey said. Shea Suski and Nick Genske have also been close but just haven't gotten over the hump to varsity, Tim Harvey said.
Junior varsity golfers, he added, have been only about five strokes off the pace of the varsity golfers. In fact, he said, the junior varsity squad would have won six of the seven varsity matches if they had been competing in place of the varsity golfers.
"They're just waiting to get on the varsity," said Sippel.
As the season nears an end and moves into tournament play, Sippel said he hopes the golfers have learned a lesson from the last two years when they qualified for regionals but had difficulties in sectionals. "As good as they are playing, they are improving," he said. "It's a good group to work with."
In the eight-team Fox Fire Invitational in Waupaca on Thursday, April 26, Amherst shot a 327 to outdistance Manawa with a 358. Weyauwega was third with 376, followed by Wittenberg 379, Menominee Indian 392, Marion 432, Oneida Nation 444 and Iola-Scandinavia, which had an incomplete team.
The Amherst team's front nine total of 155 was its best team score to date.
Leading Amherst was Pionkowski, who took medalist honors with a 78. Brian shot a 35 on the front nine but struggled with a windy back nine of 43.
Clinton, another junior, kept pace with a 37 and 42 for a 79, and senior Sherf, shot 43 and 41 (the lowest score on the back nine) for an 84. Senior Cloninger shot 40 and 46 for an 86 and sophomore Andy Harvey finished with a 43 and 51 for a 94.
On Monday, April 30, the Falcons improved to 7-0 in the CWC and 9-0 overall with wins over Marion and Weyauwega at Perry's Landing in Marion. Amherst's total of 161 easily outdistanced Weyauwega's 192 and Marion's 225.
Medalist honors went to Cloninger with a two over par 38. Right behind him were Clinton, 40; Pionkowski, 41; Sherf, 42; and Andy Harvey, 45.
Amherst's JV team shot a 184 team total lead by Mike Borgen with a 40.
Pionkowski lead Amherst to the victory over five teams at Sentry World on Tuesday, May 1, by shooting a two-over-par 74. Team scores were Amherst 327, Manawa 359, Menominee Indian 416 and Shiocton 448. Iola played with an incomplete team.
Playing from the championship tees, Brian carded a par 36 on the front and followed with a 38 on the back. Close behind for Amherst, was Sherf with an 81 (41, 40), Cloninger with 84 (39, 45), Clinton with 88 (44, 44) and Andy Harvey with 89 (41, 47).
Amherst hosts Pacelli, Wittenberg and Weyauwega on Friday, May 4, at Glacier Woods in Iola at 3:30 p.m.