Dodger Boys Win Section Golf Championship

To win a title, coaches will say, you need talent, experience, and a little luck. The boys golf team had all that, and more, in taking the state NJSIAA combined North 1 & 2 Group 1 sectional golf championship on wet Monday at Montammy Golf Club in Alpine.

Schools had to win 60% of their matches during the regular season to qualify for the sectionals, and Madison made it on the strength of a 12-4 record. The 18-hole, stroke play format grouped the Dodgers with a dozen other schools in foursomes and fivesomes, with the top four scores counting.

“I am proud of them for braving the elements better than the other teams, and we caught a little bit of a break by being put in Group 1 this year,” said coach Matt Millichap. “Group 2 was extremely competitive, a more daunting task. As it was, we knew we were a contender.”

What Millichap couldn’t know was that junior Andrew Wells would card a 78 to bring home the individual title, helping to put the Dodgers on track to take the team championship—its first since 2007—by 19 strokes with a team score of 352.

“We were certainly pleased,” the coach said. “Scores started coming in and we were in good shape early on. My expectation was that we would be among the top four or five teams, along with Bernards, Glen Rock, Mountain Lakes and Kinnelon.”

Title in hand, the Dodgers and 24 other schools will head to the Tournament of Champions at Neshanic Valley Golf Course in Branchburg May 24 at 1 p.m. to compete for New Jersey individual and team titles.

Millichap, who has coached Dodger golf for seven years and teaches social studies at , said credit for the title goes to seniors Mike Coviello, Jason von der Linde, and Conor Stark, along with junior Matt Gilbert. He said key varsity contributors were seniors Mike Lami, Matt Spelker, Matt McHale, and freshman Jack Mara.