All in all, Berkshire high school golf teams had a remarkable season.
St. Joseph’s of Pittsfield won the State Division 3 crown for the third time (1996 and 2000) last month at the Egremont Country Club, with junior Mike Quallen taking the individual title with a 76.
Pittsfield High School finished third May 28 in the Division 1 tourney at Easton Country Club with a fourth individual place for sophomore Donnie Troy with a 74.
In Division 2 play, Mount Greylock Regional was hoping to improve on last year’s second place behind Bishop Stang of Dartmouth, particularly when the championship June 3 was to be held on Waubeeka Golf Links.
Although the Mounties train and play at Taconic Golf Club where they are coached by Taconic assistant pro Jim McDonald, the team made up entirely of seniors has had a lot of experience on the Waubeeka Links.
But it was not to be and Bishop Stang repeated as champions, with Gateway Regional second, Arlington Catholic third and Drury fifth.
Greylock had won the Western Mass 2 crown May 28 at Crumpin-Fox in Bernardston, prevailing over Gateway in a tiebreaker, when Matt Gajda shot an 87, eleven strokes better than Gateway’s fifth player.
Drury finished third in its first try for the state tourney, with no seniors on the team coached by veteran mentor Frank Zoltek.
Playing at No. 1, Greylock’s John Kildahl led his team with a 77.
But at Waubeeka, when the five best Division 2 teams in the Commonwealth competed under ideal conditions, nothing went as hoped for and Kildahl again was top Mountie, but with a disappointing 84. Fellow seniors Brendan Murray carded 87; Max Sann, 97; Nick Wells-Bundtzen, 93; Matt Gajda, 86; and Alex Whitman, 93.
“We just did not meet our expectations,†said Kildahl, who added that the senior prom scheduled for that night might have diminished their focus to a degree.
Kildahl has a right to expect big things. After all, he towers above most of his teammates, standing 6 foot four inches. And at a substantial 255 pounds, he expects John Daly distances.
The son of Kent Kildahl and Catherine Hill (Williams provost and professor of economics) will enter Williams in the fall and will be a candidate for the highly ranked Division 3 Eph team. And he is leaving Friday for Ireland, where he will do construction work for an uncle and play on some of the Emerald Isle’s historic courses.
All of his teammates are college bound too, with aspirations of continuing their competitive golf. Murray and Whitman will attend golf powerhouse Skidmore, Sann will be at Monmouth in New Jersey, Wells-Bundtzen at Gettysburg, and Gajda at Endicott.
Among the two best high school golfers in recent years were Jim Salinetti of Lee High and Joey Pohle of Mount Greylock, whose father Rick is the PGA Pro at Taconic and a big winner on the local pro golfers scene, consisting of teaching pros in the Tri-State area.
Salinetti went to the University of Rhode Island and was joined there by Pohl a couple of years later. Both were on the URI team, but after one year Pohle transferred to Skidmore and received his degree there last month.
Both Salinetti and Pohle won numerous college and university honors, as well as various amateur championships. The Taconic Golf Club entrance sign indicates that Joey Pohle was a winner of the New England Amateur Championship.
Salinetti turned pro and spends winters on the Southern mini-tour circuit. Last week he entered the New England Pro Tour event at the Green Mountain National Golf Club, but failed to make the cut.
Pohle, whose honors include being named Division 3 NCAA Player of the year, does not plan a pro tour future and is taking most of the summer off the golf circuit, working for the Yankee Candle Company Restaurant in South Deerfield.
Zoltek’s Drury team: Kevin Lamb, Mitch Spooner, Walt Pecor, Bryce Maruco, Ross Williams and Mike DiPaoli, will be back next season, aiming for another state appearance.
McDonald will be working with an all new starting lineup.
Cops are supposed to be withstand adversity and they certainly proved it last Thursday at Waubeeka in the annual Berkshire County Law Enforcement Committee’s Kids’ Place & Violence Prevention Center Benefit.
Despite vicious, cold rain and wind, nearly 200 members and guests got in their 18 holes before celebrating their endurance.
John Hitchcock of Williamstown writes frequently about the area sports scene.
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McCann Recognizes Superintendent Award Recipient
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Landon LeClair and Superintendent James Brosnan with Landon's parents Eric and Susan LeClair, who is a teacher at McCann.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Superintendent's Award has been presented to Landon LeClair, a senior in McCann Technical School's advanced manufacturing course.
The presentation was made last Thursday by Superintendent Jame Brosnan after Principal Justin Kratz read from teachers' letters extolling LeClair's school work, leadership and dedication.
"He's become somewhat legendary at the Fall State Leadership Conference for trying to be a leader at his dinner table, getting an entire plate of cookies for him and all his friends," read Kratz to chuckles from the School Committee. "Landon was always a dedicated student and a quiet leader who cared about mastering the content."
LeClair was also recognized for his participation on the school's golf team and for mentoring younger teammates.
"Landon jumped in tutoring the student so thoroughly that the freshman was able to demonstrate proficiency on an assessment despite the missed class time for golf matches," read Kratz.
The principal noted that the school also received feedback from LeClair's co-op employer, who rated him with all fours.
"This week, we sent Landon to our other machine shop to help load and run parts in the CNC mill," his employer wrote to the school. LeClair was so competent the supervisor advised the central shop might not get him back.
The city has lifted a boil water order — with several exceptions — that was issued late Monday morning following several water line breaks over the weekend. click for more