By Jack Ankony, executive sports editor
Juniors John Cantieri and Charlie Busch competed at the state golf tournament at the Den at Fox Creek, an Arnold Palmer course, on the weekend of Oct. 14. On a sunny and slightly windy day, Cantieri had hopes of finishing in the top 20, and after shooting a 72 in the first round, he was on pace.
“After the first day I was feeling pretty confident and I wanted to stay consistent in the second round and shoot in the seventies,” Cantieri said.
However, after what Cantieri describes as a lack of focus on his putts, he shot an 87 in the second round to finish 64th overall. Busch went on to finish 70th.
“I think this allowed me to have a good learning experience to see what it is like to go against the best players in the state,” Cantieri said. “I think it helped me grow confidence for next year.”
Cantieri had played the course the summer before the season during a team outing. He thinks that experience helped him know the dynamics of the course and where to hit the ball. Cantieri also leaned on support from head coach Tom Martindale and assistant coach Gary Judson.
“They just said to be confident and stay calm, not to rush through shots,” Cantieri said. “They also helped throughout the round giving me support and keeping me on track.”
Looking back on the round, Cantieri was happy with how he played overall, but wishes he could have stayed more focused on his putts throughout the back nine of the second round. Cantieri has high hopes for the Knights next year as they will lead by him, Busch, and junior Jack Knott who were all strong contributors this season.
“I think we have a pretty bright future with the juniors this year and we have some good sophomores coming up to play,” Cantieri said. “I think we will have a pretty good run at state next year.”