Churchville-Chili Clinches Sixth Consecutive Boys Golf Division Title
By Warren Kozireski
Despite two of seven seniors playing on rebuilt knees, Churchville-Chili clinched its sixth straight boys golf Division title and is on the hunt for its first Section V championship.
It was about one year ago when Jason Starkweather tore his ACL, with the ensuing rehab costing him fall and winter sports. And classmate Joseph Andrecolich-Montesano had knee surgery this past October after a soccer injury, with his rehab taking longer than he wanted, as he still is playing with pain. Both are wearing knee braces, but Starkweather sported a nine-hole average of 39.4 and Andrecolich-Montesano 41.3 through the first eight matches this spring.
“Golf has been my sport my entire life, and what the injury did for me, I don’t think I ever fully embraced it because I played other sports, and now, I’ve had those other sports taken away from me,” Starkweather said. “I couldn’t play basketball my senior year – I had to watch, which was tough.
“I think it’s been a blessing in disguise; I’ve never worked harder in my life at the game, and there’s nowhere I’d rather be than the golf course. Just being able to come out here and walk up and down hills each day is awesome. I remember being in my bed, not being able to do anything, and it was awful.”
While Starkweather is a year into his recovery, Andrecolich-Montesano was injured in the fall and is still struggling to keep the pain from affecting his shots.
“Being on a state championship soccer team and playing basketball as well and losing both of those seasons has been tough, not just physically but mentally,” Andrecolich-Montesano said.
“Every swing, every walk, I feel the pain every single step, and it’s just sitting with it and not letting it get to me. Loading and shifting weight…even walking uphill is a struggle every day.
“I was on more of a three-month timetable, but I’m looking at five months right now. I just had a test done, and my right leg is six times stronger than my left leg, so definitely a lot more to go.”
Sophomore and second seed Grady Galliford was averaging 39.3 with senior Nick Medlar and sophomore Stephen Percassi at 41.8 and 41.9, respectively, as part of the Saints’ top five.
“It’s a culture thing, and the mental side of the game and physical stamina are huge parts as well,” head coach Brian Young said about his program’s recent success. “Today is a quad match, so the difference between our first group and our sixth is an hour. You have to have the commitment to be able to go to the practice green for an hour and not have it drain you.
“Even during practice, sometimes we’ll just do putting instead of hitting a hundred shots with our driver on the range. We’re going to focus on the big percentage parts of the game that help you score. Roughly 40% of the game is on the green.
“We have some depth, and a large part of that is that we have a JV program; not every school has a JV program, and we have four or five eighth graders playing golf, and they love it. They want to stay after practice and play more, and again, that is part of the culture that will move up to the varsity in a couple of years.”
Starkweather recently committed to play golf at St. John Fisher this fall, while Andrecolich-Montesano will become his archenemy playing for rival Nazareth.
The senior class of Starkweather, Andrecolich-Montesano, Medlar, Aidan Hahn, Jacob McGowan, Joshua Roscoe, and Ryan Wolford have never lost in their time playing varsity golf, something they attribute to setting a standard.
“When you’re younger as a freshman coming up, you match the energy around you,” Andrecolich-Montesano said. “When you become an upperclassman, you try to set that same standard and hold each other accountable.”
Still on the calendar over the next few weeks for the seniors and the team are Class Qualifiers, Individual State Qualifiers, Team Sectionals, and, they hope, the NYSPHAA Championship in early June at their home course – Mill Creek.
