For county's top golf programs, it's all academic until states

Sure, the matches count, and a stellar September goes a long way in proving who the best, or most consistent, teams are. But in the end, only two things matter to the best teams in the county: districts and states.

The former tournament serves as the qualifier for the latter, with only three county teams earning the opportunity to play for the ultimate prize.

No team will likely ever personify this as much as Whitman did a year ago. Clearly one of the most talented teams in the county, the Vikings underachieved all regular season, finishing 10-7-1 with a fourth-place finish in the Yachmetz Division. And in the District 2 Tournament, they finished only four shots ahead of fourth-place Sherwood, earning a berth to the Maryland 4A/3A State Tournament by the skin of their teeth.

Then magically, it all just clicked. Then-seniors Alex and Mike Kamargo, Louis Spear and junior Steven Fisher combined to shoot a state-record 596 over two rounds, capturing the championship by 12 strokes over second-place LaPlata.

All but Fisher are gone off that team, and the Vikings will need a host of newcomers to step up, including junior Alex Ray and sophomore Eric Miller. After that, it's a crapshoot, but head coach Karl O'Donaghue knows his team has more than enough time to earn its stripes before it truly matters.

"We lost three real leaders off the team, and there are three spots that are still kind of up in the air," he said. "This year is going to be a learning experience but the only thing that matters is how we do in districts and states. It's like last year, you know, all of a sudden we just gelled at the right time. Hopefully, we can gel like that again."

Churchill spent five years gelling, as after winning a quintet of state championships, it was again the unquestioned best team in the county up until states a year ago. Now hoping to start another title run, the Bulldogs return a plethora of performers off last year's 18-1, state-qualifying team.

Back are All-Gazette first-team golfers Gary Raizon, a senior, and Diana Brown, a sophomore who may be the best girl in the county. Back also is senior Marc Youngentob, along with promising Nader Shishechi.

"We lost four or five seniors but we have some very strong returning players," said first-year head coach Michael Fisher. "Our top three [Raizon, Youngentob and Shishechi] are going to carry us, and we have three or four girls that are no question going to qualify for states."

If you're looking for this year's Whitman, Wootton would seem the top candidate. A state qualifier a year ago, the Patriots return three starters from last year; senior Andrew Stein, a first-team All-Gazette performer; senior Brian Hollins, who's started since his sophomore year; and sophomore Connor Kendall, who qualified for states as a freshman. Senior Dylan Skarupa and Kentucky transfer Patrick Williams ("a player to watch out for" according to head coach Erin Williams) round out arguably the deepest starting lineup in the county.

Joining the three returning state qualifiers in the competitive Yachmetz Division is Damascus, a Kyle Division champion a year ago whose performance moved them into the upper echelon of county competition. Luckily, they return some upper echelon talent: Sophomores Cody Pestun and Brett Myers were two of the top scorers in the division last year, with Myers finishing 11th in state-tournament competition.

Walter Johnson also returns some talent, and on the first day of tryouts, head coach Richard Payne reminded everyone that anyone can be this year's Whitman. Three returning seniors should make a difference, with Daniel Ronis, Benjamin Kerwin and Mitchell Feldman. Payne believes the latter could be one of the best golfers in the county.

"It's a new year and that's the good thing for our division," said Payne. "The division will be stronger this year, with Damascus and Sherwood, but we'll be strong too."

Like the Wildcats, Bethesda-Chevy Chase returns three starters, all seniors: Albert Kurtz, Jordan Fried and Wagner Weigand (a three-year starter). B-CC will also have a freshman starter in Richard McBride, creating a core that should be competitive in the Yachmetz.

"I think we can be competitive with all those teams," said Barons head coach Bob Sheridan. "If we can get guys to step up at the five and six spots, we should improve."