Hawks co-ed golf team halfway through season; Playing un-fore-gettable matches

North Harford’s co-ed golf team, unlike other fall sports, is about halfway through their season. The Hawks are leading the season 7-2. The team plans to play in the state qualifier rounds on September 20. In the UCBAC golf league, the players go through a nine hole golf course, rather than 18. 

     Coach Nick Panos has a goal, “to be more skilled at the end of the season than [the team] is now.” Coach Panos expresses that the team has had a “very solid first half of the season”. The Hawks are led by captain John Manzari, senior.

    The starters of the golf team include Manzari, juniors Alex Martinelli and Nicholas Cochran, sophomores Lucas Parks, Coulter Parsons, and Logan Rakesraw, and freshmen Greg Sebring and Ashley Picha. 

     Manzari thinks this, “new team has potential to be really good and beat any team in the county.” As captain he strives to, “set an example that [he] think[s] could really help the team be successful.” Manzari is ready to see the team improve as a whole but, also some individuals go above and beyond in the sport. 

     Junior Alex Martinelli is facing his first year as a Hawk after transferring from Harford Tech. Martinelli has been playing golf for three years. He is looking forward to state qualifiers on 9/20. Sadly he, “does not think [he] will qualify at states.” Martinelli likes to be a part of the good team dynamic they have built.

     Junior Nicholas Cochran has “been playing golf for eight years,” and this year on the Hawks co-ed team he is “really looking forward to states.” As the state qualifier is coming up, he is getting prepared. Cochran says all the players “clicked at the start of the season.”

     Fellow junior Cooper Honig has only “played golf for three to four months.” In his most recent match at Furnace Bay, the Hawks stole the win and Honig shot a 44. He feels the team has a good dynamic.“[They] enjoy playing together,” according to Honig.

     Freshman Ashley Picha looks to have a prosperous first season. Picha hopes to perform well in the upcoming state qualifier rounds. She has “been playing golf for two and a half to three years” and looks forward to the second half of the fall season. Picha believes the team has “been doing pretty well.” She says you have to acknowledge that “some people will have better matches than others.”