The Varsity Golf team is getting back into the swing of things this spring and is looking to win its third consecutive Section X title. The Bears only lost one of their top six players from last year and have four players returning who advanced to the NYS State Championships.
The Bears are comprised of a mix of ages and classes, but have many experienced players returning. The two seniors on the team are John O’Neill, who is returning for his third year, and Sam Sieminski, who is returning for his sixth year. Both are looking forward to their final high school season and both golfers were among the nine Section X players last year who advanced to the states.
Junior Ryan Jones is making his return which will be his fifth year on the team. He was also part of the Section X Boys state team last year.
Freshman Eliza Creurer is returning to the team where last year she was the only female golfer to represent Section X in states and was the first female golfer to go to states from Section X in over a decade. Also returning to the team are freshman Daniel O’Neill and 8th grader Will McDonough.
Sieminski and Jones were both first team All-Northern selections last year. John O’Neill was a second team All-Northern.
“The last two years we’ve been very successful as a team, and this year we expect nothing less,” said John O’Neill. “We’re looking to win our third sectional championship in a row.”
Prior to capturing the Section X Championship in 2021 and 2022, it had been 35 years since Canton High School had won the section golf title. Players on that 1986 team included current St. Lawrence University Women’s Hockey Coach Chris Wells, Darren Abbott, Mark Simpson, Bill Duskas, Sam Bellamy and Brian Mayhew.
Unfortunately for this year’s team, they can’t get out on the course until the snow melts and the course thaws, but their first match is on Monday, April 24 at home against the Gouverneur Wildcats. Last year when these two teams played, Canton came out on top by 44 strokes winning 209 to 253.
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