Word from the Woods :: April 21

In the Word from the Woods, we'll take a look at what's happening around some of the Woodland spring sports every week. This week, we feature the Boys' Tennis and Golf teams.

Boys’ Tennis

The Woodland boys’ tennis team has gotten off to a somewhat disappointing start, emerging victorious in just one of its first five matches. In the last week and a half, the Hawks suffered two tough defeats, dropping a 7-2 decision to Torrington and a close 5-4 outcome to Watertown.

Last Wednesday at Torrington, the only two match victories that the Black and Gold enjoyed were that of sophomore Mike Krakowski in singles action and the senior duo of Joe Rosa and Jon Trapp in doubles. The Hawks nearly got back on track last Thursday at Watertown, but narrowly lost to the Indians, 5-4. Rosa, Trapp, and Krakowski all won their singles matches, but only the team of Rosa/Trapp was able to steal a doubles victory.

“I think that we have really good athletic ability on the team and everybody is capable of winning their match,” Rosa, the Hawks’ number-one singles player, said. “I just don’t feel that we are putting our 100% effort into each match. I have to be a better leader and act as a role model for my team and show them that we need to win each match. If I keep winning, that will give my team some encouragement to win.”

Golf

The Hawks’ golfers have teed off well this season, accumulating a 2-1 record in the early season. The Black and Gold bested both Sacred Heart and Wilby in its first two matches before falling to Wolcott by 10 strokes at Hop Brook Golf Course on Tuesday, 186-176. Senior Ryan Keaveney led the Hawks by shooting a 44, while sophomore Kyle Mascoli shot a 46. Senior Kyle Menta and sophomore Nick Vanerie each carded a 48 on the par-36 course.

“We have a young team, with the only seniors having experience being me and Kyle Menta,” Keaveney said. “I think we have the potential to surprise some people this year. We just need to keep working hard and staying focused to make it happen.”

Menta agreed with Keaveney. “We really need to work on playing smarter. If we can keep our heads in the game, then we’ll drop our scores. It looks like we’re going to start being more competitive with a couple of the sophomores improving this year, which is very positive.”