Boys' golf
Players of the Year
Jeff Wallace, Xaverian
 DIVISION 1 |
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Wallace was one of the leaders of this year's Division 1 runner-up team, with a scoring average of 37. In the individual competition at the state finals at Sterling, he finished second overall with a 70. At the Division 1 South sectionals at Poquoy Brook, he tied for third with a 77. With Wallace leading the charge, Xaverian beat rival and defending state champion St. John's Prep. Wallace has qualified for the Mass Amateur the past two years and qualified for the Mass Open this year. He has finished ninth at the MGA Juniors and sixth at the 2002 AJGA tournament at New Seabury. A junior, Wallace is a member of the National Honor Society. |
Keegan Bradley, Hopkinton
DIVISION 2 |
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Bradley led his Hopkinton squad to the first state golf championship in school history this year, and captured the Division 2 individual crown for himself with a round of 69 at the Beverly Golf and Tennis Club Oct. 28. The Hillers finished 21 strokes ahead of Central Catholic for the title, and Bradley was two strokes up on teammate and fellow Globe All-Scholastic Jon Curran. In his first year at Hopkinton, Bradley's stroke average this fall was 35.5. He has finished as high as fifth at the Vermont State Amateur tournament and has placed in the top 15 five times at AJGA tournaments. |
Kevin Velardo, Wilmington
DIVISION 3 |
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Velardo won this year's Division 3 individual title at Far Corner Golf Club by one stroke with a 1-over-par 73. A ferocious streak of putting on the middle holes got Velardo out of trouble at the state finals and put him back in the running after a rough opening six holes. A Cape Ann League All-Star, Velardo finished second at the North sectional with a 78 and first at the league final with a 75. He had finished second at the state finals as a sophomore. His overall individual record is 31-1-1 and his team record is 39-4-3. His career stroke average is 37.8. A junior honor roll student, Velardo hopes to play golf in college. |
Coaches of the Year
Dennis Donovan, Xaverian
DIVISION 1 |
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Donovan guided the Hawks to an 11-3 record this season and the Division 1 state finals, where they finished in second place, five shots behind Longmeadow. Included on the resume this fall is a win over rival St. John's Prep, which ended the Eagles 40-match win streak. In four years at Xaverian, he has compiled an impressive 48-17 record. Donovan doesn't want to take much credit, however. "We had a very deep team this year," he said. "All I had to do was make up the pairings and let them play. This award for me is just a reflection of how well the team played. This award is really for them." A graduate of Arlington High School (1982) and Worcester Polytechnical Institute, Donovan is also a high school and college football referee and played baseball as a student-athlete. |
Dick Bliss, Hopkinton
DIVISION 2 |
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Bliss guided Hopkinton to a 17-1 record this season, landing the Hillers a share of the Tri-Valley League title, the South sectional title, and the Division 2 state championship before his 24th season at the helm was over. Bliss won the state golf title in 1965 at Westboro High and the NCAA championship at the University of Houston in 1967. Bliss, who has coached the girls' basketball team to two Division 4 state titles in the last seven years and coached the boys' basketball team for 15 years, places this year's success squarely on the shoulders of his golfers. "In my 25 years of coaching, this year's golf team was the most talented team I've ever coached," he said. "As the level of competition got higher, our players performed incredibly." |
George Callahan, Medfield
DIVISION 3 |
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A good league produces one Coach of the Year, but the Tri-Valley League . . . Callahan, who has amassed a 90-76-4 record in nine years as coach at Medfield, led his squad to the first state championship for a boys' team in school history. Led by All-Scholastic senior Steve Neidermire, the Warriors shot an impressive 303 at the MIAA Division 3 state finals Oct. 27, 14 shots better than second-place finisher Harwich. Medfield also shared the Tri-Valley League title with Hopkinton. "[This team] had great character and superb sportsmanship," said Callahan. "[It was] a great group of boys to coach." Callahan, who also enjoys skiing, hiking, and camping, captained his golf team and played hockey at BC High, and played golf at Boston College, where he graduated in 1964. |
The All-Scholastics
Ryan Collins, Hingham
SENIOR |
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Collins, a Patriot League All-League selection, was named Hingham's team MVP this season as the Harbormen shared the league title. Collins finished eighth at the state tournament this year. He is a two-time Globe All-Scholastic, Patriot League All-League selection, and team MVP. His career-low score came in 2002, when he shot a 69, the same year that he won the South Shore Junior Club Championship with a 73. A true Boston fan, he lists his hobbies with three words: Bruins, Red Sox, and Patriots. The honor roll student is looking at Quinnipiac, Bryant, and New Hampshire for next fall. |
Scott Congdon, Foxboro
JUNIOR |
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Congdon was this year's Hockomock League MVP for Foxboro, which won the league title, finished fifth at the South sectionals (75), and fourth at the MIAA state championships with a 3-over-par 73 at the Beverly Golf Club. He was the medalist at the 2001 states and is already a two-time Hockomock All-Star. He has qualified for several national junior tournaments this year, including the Callaway Golf Junior World Golf championships in San Diego, and the Independent Insurance Agent Classic. He is the Foxboro Country Club champion. In the summer, he played the US Challenge Cup. |
Jeff Corbett, Stoneham
JUNIOR |
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Corbett fell just short of the Division 3 individual title this year, as he was one shot off of fellow junior and Division 3 Golfer of the Year Kevin Velardo of Wilmington. Nonetheless, Corbett garnered Middlesex League All-Star and MVP honors for his impressive performance this season. It was a bounce-back year for Corbett, who qualified for states as a freshman, but missed the cut as a sophomore. An honor roll student, Corbett also enjoys hockey and spring track and will travel to junior golf tournaments this summer to gear up for his senior season. |
Jon Curran, Hopkinton
JUNIOR |
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Curran isn't one of those underclassmen student-athletes satisfied to live in the shadow of his older teammates. At the MIAA Division 2 state championships this fall, he tied for second behind senior teammate and Division 2 Golfer of the Year Keegan Bradley. Curran's 69, combined with Bradley's 69, helped the Hillers cruise to the team title by more than 20 strokes. Curran, an honor roll student and two-time All-Scholastic, keeps busy on the junior golf circuit. He has finished fourth at the US Junior Stroke Play tournament, fourth at the Scott Robertson Junior tournament, and sixth at the Thunderbird Junior International tournament. |
Sean Devin, Sandwich
SENIOR |
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Devin's 37.9 stroke average helped Sandwich take the Atlantic Coast League championship with a 15-3 record this season. The team's captain, he placed fifth overall in the individual competition with a 76 (sixth place) in the Division 2 South sectional at the Easton Country Club and a 75 (fourth place at the Division 2 state championship at the Beverly Golf Club. A two-time All-Scholastic, he also won an AGJA qualifier at Old Barnstable Golf Club. Devin also enjoys following New England sports teams, billiards, and skiing; he is a Level 1 PSIA ski instructor. He will attend Queens University of Charlotte in the fall. |
Matt Hanlon, BC High
SENIOR |
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Hanlon, his team's captain, came up with a 74 at the Division 1 state finals this year, helping the Eagles to finish fourth, along with Agawam, in the team standings with a 309. The No. 1 player on the team for three years, he led the Eagles in pars, birdies, and eagles his senior year, and holds the record for the lowest score ever at an MIAA event, a 33 at Salem Country Club. Hanlon, a four-time All-Star in the competitive Catholic Conference, was the New England Junior Open champion this year. He hopes to play golf for West Point in college. |
Tyler Kett, Harwich
SENIOR |
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Kett was involved in a memorable pairing at the Division 3 state finals this year. He and Medfield's Steve Neidermire are big hitters off the tee, but both display solid short games, and they went head to head all afternoon before the two finished as part of a three-way tie for second place in the individual competition. Kett, who won the MIAA South sectional title this year, had a 37.6 stroke average for his final two seasons. He was 60-11-5 in his four years on the team. He is also the captain of the Harwich basketball team and hopes to attend the University of Rhode Island in the fall. |
Steve Neidermire, Medfield
SENIOR |
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Neidermire will be remembered at Medfield High School not just for the entertaining race for the individual crown at this year's Division 3 finals that he was a part of, but for what he and his teammates brought to his school: its first state title in a boys' sport. He was the team's MVP with a stroke average of 37.2 and a first team Tri-Valley League All-Star selection. He finished the season with a 13-3-2 individual record and three overall league all-star selections. Also interested in skiing and traveling, Neidermire hopes to attend college somewhere in the Southeast and you can be sure his golf career is just beginning. |
Tim O'Brien, Walpole
SENIOR |
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O'Brien's play helped the Walpole squad to a 13-3 record and a third-place finish at the Division 2 state championship this season. The third-place finish was one spot better than O'Brien and the Rebels managed at last season's finals. Individually, O'Brien had a 37.8 stroke average and finished eighth at the state finals with a round of 76. He also finished tied for second in the South sectionals with a 72 and helped his squad win the Bay State League All-Star match. The four-year starter and honor roll student never missed a match in his high school career. He also plays baseball at Walpole and enjoys skiing. |
Kevin Osborne, Peabody
SENIOR |
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Osborne finished his high school career by winning his second straight Greater Boston League Player of the Year award. The Peabody team captain, Osborne also helped his squad win the Division 1 North crown while finishing second in individual competition. He played in the No. 1 spot for Peabody for three years and he finished in first place in the GBL All-Star tournament his junior and senior years. Osborne is a member of the National Honor Society and is also the captain of the Peabody hockey team. He is undecided about his college plans. |
Chris Tarallo, Xaverian
JUNIOR |
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Tarallo was a key player at the Division 1 state finals for Xaverian this season. His round of 71 was just shy of teammate and Division 1 Golfer of the Year Jeff Wallace's 70, and helped the Hawks earn a second-place finish in team competition with a 303, one stroke ahead of South Hadley. They were the only Hawks to shoot 79 or under. Tarallo also put in a solid performance at the South sectionals, shooting a 77. Combined with Wallace, he helped the Hawks keep St. John's Prep in the rear-view miror all season. He also plays basketball and baseball at Xaverian, and splits his time between the diamond and the links during the summer. |
George Zolotas, St. John's
SENIOR |
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Last year's Division 1 Player of the Year, Zolotas finished the season with a 37 stroke average and won the Catholic Conference individual championship with a 72 at Halifax Country Club. The three-time conference all-star finishes his career with three Division 1 team state titles to his credit, and sixth-place finishes in individual competition at the sectional at Beverly Golf and Tennis Club and the state championship at the Sterling Country Club this season. Zolotas is undecided about his college plans but you can be sure golf is in his future. |
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The All-Scholastic boys' golf team was selected by the school sports staff. Selection is limited to MIAA schools that compete in EMass leagues. Text by Joe Vieira. Photos by Kathleen Johnson.
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