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H.S. GOLF: Abington Heights, Lakeland are division favoritesAug 21, 2011 (The Times-Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- North Pocono golf coach Dan Kopcza stood at the scoreboard copying down numbers from Friday's Jackman Memorial preseason tournament. He scribbled the numbers of teams from his Southern Division onto a legal pad, knowing full well that five of the six top teams in the Jackman all came from his division, and he'd better be ready to crunch the numbers as numerous dogfights loom. "It's a great division," Kopcza said. "We have Abington Heights up there and Prep here the day after Labor Day. We're experienced, as is Prep, as is Abington." But one thing is certain. With the number of tournament-tested players on almost all the top contenders' rosters, there shouldn't be any fear factor when it comes to those top teams battling it out. "It should be gone, especially with Kenny (Sames) and Mark (Paradise) have been there leading us against the elite. They should be able to hold their own against anybody," Kopcza said. "It should be exciting." Abington Heights became the division favorite with four players -- champion Dalton Coldwater, Eric Montella, Alex Altier and Anthony Sebastianelli all shooting between 72 and 75 to win the Jackman by 10 shots over Prep. "What we're seeing now, that we didn't see five or six years ago, is top-to-bottom depth on the roster," Abington Heights coach Mike Williams said. "I know it's a very popular sports at Abington and we're blessed to have two country clubs within the confines of our school district. I think we see more kids playing at a higher level because of that." Scranton Prep has its share of talent back, too, and a chip on its shoulder after failing to win the Jackman for just the 13th time in 48 years. David Pompey, Joe Chaudhari and Ryan Brown will be more intent on defending their division title after Prep's showing. Northern Division By finishing as the top team from the Northern Division at the Jackman, Lakeland established itself as the top contender for the title. Not so fast, said Lakeland coach Gary Phillips. "I don't know if we're quite the favorite," Phillips said. "There's always that Montrose team up there." The Meteors were just five shots behind Lakeland, which will be led by Mike Thomas, who tied for eighth in the Jackman. However, Montrose will have to travel to both Lakeland and Wallenpaupack this year, with 'Paupack now playing its matches at Woodloch Springs, an unknown to most opponents with its forced carries and places not to miss. "We play Lakeland on Wednesday morning at Sleepy Hollow so we'll find out right away," Montrose coach Mike Zuba said. "And Honesdale's always tough, and 'Paupack is now playing at Woodloch. It's going to be interesting. "It will be a different type of course, something we'll have to get used to. It will be more challenging. "They have everything conducive to helping their team out." Phillips and his team may have respect for Montrose, but they are ready to battle the Meteors. "It's a good matchup right off the bat," Phillips said. "We have a home-field advantage there, which hopefully will make a little bit of a difference. "I have two seniors and three juniors, and my juniors are three-year starters. They did well in the tournament. Only time will tell." Honesdale coach Dan O'Neill has at least one standout in Mike Kussoff, who tied for third in the Jackman. Much of the rest of the season will come down to who plays well on the road and is able to dominate on their home course. "Home-course advantage is going to make the difference this year," O'Neill said. "Looking at the schedule, Lakeland has a good advantage. We have to play them there and so does Montrose. They do have to go to Wallenpaupack. Hopefully we can be the spoiler to Wallenpaupack because they come to our place." Contact the writer: [email protected] A(C)2011, The Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pa.) To see more of The Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pa.), or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to thetimes-tribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |