Undefeated golf team captures second Lighthouse League title
BY STEVE SHEPPARD
The high school golf team can now look ahead to the state tournament after capturing a consecutive Lighthouse League championship with a league record of 6-0.

The play of co-captain Harry Robishaw is one of the reasons Nantucket is Lighthouse League champion again this year.

The team completes its regular season schedule with today's non-league game at Martha's Vineyard. Last Friday, coach Mike Horton had time to reflect on his team's accomplishments to date.

"The team has played beyond expectations," he said. "It's almost as if the members of the team had something to prove."

The graduation of Gregory MacKay, who finished his high school career as last year's number two golfer in Division 3, combined with the graduation of five of his golfing classmates left a void, but this year's golfers stepped up to fill it. Senior co-captains Harry Robishaw and Patrick Wynn knocked off upwards of 8 strokes from their averages to shoot consistently in the high thirties to low forties this year. Sophomore Amanda Levy "also shot around 40 at every match," Horton pointed out. "The difference is we don't have one top player, we have three or four. We're actually deeper this year."

Senior Kevin Withrow has also improved his game, so that Friday he, Wynn and Robishaw will represent the Whalers at the day-long Cape and Islands Schoolboy Tournament.

The team's record over the past four years has steadily improved from a 3-11 overall mark in 2003 to last year's 12-3 mark and this season's similar 10-2-1 mark. "The future looks even brighter," Horton said. "Although we'll be graduating three starters, we're going to be able to replace them without losing any depth." He looks forward to eighth graders Allison Levy and Bram Daly joining the varsity and continued steady play from freshmen Taylor Thayer, Henry Toole and Riley Wynn.

In his four years as head coach Horton has seen "a real turnaround in the program" that he attributes in part to the support of the island's golf clubs and to the dedication younger players have for the sport. "Some students have been playing since they've been seven years old."

For now, however, the focus is on upcoming state tournament play, and a chance to better last year's loss in the sectionals. MacKay was able to compete in last year's finals as an individual, but this time around Horton will depend on a team effort. "We are ecstatic about qualifying," he said. "We want to be one of the top three in the sectionals so we can advance further this year."

The sectionals are close to home as well, taking place at Dennis Highlands golf course later in the month.

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