Golf off to a strong start

The Blair golf team improved to 4-0 in their last two matches as they took first place with a score of 229 in Tuesday's match against Poolesville and Wheaton.

Junior Neal Vasilak led the team with a 41, the lowest score of the match. Seniors Ben Payes and Zack Mellman also contributed strong performances with 45 and 43, respectively. Also, Bill McManigle shot a 46, and Danny Gillen shot a 54 to round off the team's quality performance. Poolesville shot 255 as a team and Wheaton shot 309.

The team also defeated Wheaton and Poolesville on Tuesday September 9 and is hoping for strong play from the seniors. "We are off to a fairly strong start. We are getting real good leadership from our seniors. We have been fortunate to recover from our mistakes," said coach James Schafer.

The team's success is due in part to their work in the off-season and to their being switched to a weaker division. "We are a lot better than last year. A lot of people practiced over the summer," said Payes.

The core of the team remains intact from last year, as only two starters graduated. The team has high expectations for the season and will play Kennedy, Wheaton and Paint Branch on Thursday, September 11 at Redgate Golf Course.