Getting down to business

Andover golfers win with a light touch

Andover High School's golf team - including Eric Hooker, (front) Nicole Boudreau, and Sean Burke - finished 13-0-1 and are hoping for a state title. (Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff)

ANDOVER - The moment was indicative of the persona defining the Andover High golf team. Sitting at a table on the outside patio at Andover Country Club, Sean Burke was talking to a reporter when he received a lighthearted phone call from teammate Mike Pulido.

Standing 2 feet away, the smiling Pulido left a message: "Call when your interview is complete."

The Golden Warriors are a friendly crew.

"It's a real goofy bunch," said Burke, the team's senior captain. "Before and after matches, we're always joking around and making each other laugh. During a match, though, we get serious and down to business. We all know what this season means, especially the seniors, and no one wants to mess that up."

Burke and senior Eric Hooker headline a class of six seniors, four juniors, two sophomores and one freshman who have continued the program's winning ways.

On Monday, the three-time Merrimack Valley Conference champs tied Newton South for the top spot at the Division 1 North sectional. Andover took home the runner-up trophy after South won the tie-breaker.

Tomorrow, the squad will set its sights on the Division 1 state title at Brookmeadow Country Club in Canton.

The Golden Warriors finished the regular season with a 13-0-1 mark and have won 51 straight MVC matches. Over the past three seasons, Andover is 45-0-1; its last loss came on Oct. 7, 2005.

Hooker and Burke are determined to leave on top.

"It's still not over," said Hooker, who took medalist honors at the sectional with a 72. "The past four years have been so successful and each match means so much more now that we're seniors. This is our last chance. We know what kind of history the program has."

Earlier this season, Hooker battled his own adversity. He tore ligaments in his knee this summer, and teed off the season wearing a brace. Despite limited mobility, he managed to compile a 13-0-1 record.

Before big matches, Hooker can be found sitting on the bus, listening to Third Eye Blind and other alternative rock bands on his iPod to help calm his nerves.

"Eric's been a very solid guy his whole career," said head coach Ken Kwajewski. "He had some trouble in the beginning of the season when he was playing with his knee brace, but he didn't let it change his game or his approach to the game."

Though he cited Chelmsford and Central Catholic as the team's biggest rivals, Hooker's greatest competition is Burke, his teammate.

At sectionals, Burke placed one stroke behind Hooker, with a 73. At the MVC championship, Burke again took second with a 75, two strokes behind Hooker's 73. And the two were the leading candidates for MVC Player of the Year honors, which was voted on by the league's coaches on Thursday night.

"It's fun because it makes for good competition," said Burke. "You figure if there's someone always beating you, at least he's on your own team. That's the thing about this team; we're all supporting each other and we're all close. Everyone's there for everyone."

Burke began swinging a club when he was 2. Five years ago, he made a serious commitment to the sport, practicing daily at Andover CC when the weather permitted and spending the winter working with a swing coach at the indoor facility at Atkinson Country Club in New Hampshire.

Like Hooker, Burke plans on playing golf in college, hoping to head south to play year-round.

While Hooker and Burke provide the veteran presence needed to make a run tomorrow, it's the advice they've given to the underclassmen that will decide the team's future.

For freshman Nicole Boudreau, the advice started long before she joined the high school team.

"My brother [David] was a senior captain last year and he was always telling me about the legacy," said Boudreau. "This is a lot different than going out and playing your best. Even if you tie or lose a match, it affects the rest of your team. I don't feel too much pressure being the only freshman or because of my brother, but I was so nervous my first match. The guys are real nice, they really support you and told me I'd do great."

Following Burke's advice: "If your opponent knows you're confident, you've got the advantage," Boudreau has gone 6-1-1 in eight matches this year. David Boudreau, a freshman at Bentley, calls to receive updates on the team and his sister's individual performance.

"He checks in quite a bit," said Boudreau. "He tells me that it's the younger kids' responsibility to learn from the older ones and see how they handle themselves in big matches. It's the way that will help us carry on the success into next year. And it's a lot to live up to."

Sapna Pathak can be reached at sportsgalsp@gmail.com