On Sept. 24, the Riverside Brookfield High School boys varsity golf team won conference for the second year in a row. The team competed at St. Andrews Golf and Country Club against 11 other high schools.
Head coach and science teacher Charles Pozen worked hard with his players throughout the season in preparation for conference.
“Playing 18 holes is a lot of golf, so in order to keep my players focused, I told them that the last three to five holes should always be their best,” Pozen said.
Pozen experienced his first conference win as the new head coach for the team. Seeing all the results shake up from the effort the boys put in towards the end of the season was most rewarding to him.
“It was good to see them towards the end of the season play very well,” Pozen said. “Our whole team was really playing their best golf, too, so it was fun.”
RB senior Gavin Sharenow and junior Oliver Fakhoury were part of the lineup that led the team to victory. With Sharenow shooting an 82 and Fakhoury an 83, along with the scores of other members of the lineup, the boys were able to win conference for the second year in a row. Sharenow has been on the boys varsity golf team for three years. Throughout the season, Sharenow utilized his role on the team by assisting not only new team members, but Pozen as well.
“Playing in more of the top spots of matches and focusing in throughout the season were ways I made use of my role as a leader on this team,” Sharenow said. “I also helped out with scoring well, and I helped Pozen—being his first year as coach—get to know the team and who we are.”
Although the team was up against many challenging high schools, their ability to focus during the conference match was a leading factor in their performance. As with any sport, a sound mind and clear mentality is key to securing the win.
“This year they did a split where everyone was divided into two divisions,” Sharenow said. “The division we were in was close coming down the stretch, but we focused in and finished strong.”
Fakhoury, placing 16th at conference, worked on many different things with the team throughout the season that helped them perform to the best of their abilities.
“I think the team practices and practice rounds really helped prepare us for all of our matches this season,” Fakhoury said. “We specifically focused on particular drills and swing thoughts.”
Fakhoury looks forward to working with his teammates during the off-season to better prepare for the following season and win another conference championship and more. The future of the team is looking bright as they continue to climb the ranks.
“It’s definitely going to be harder not having the current seniors there next year,” Fakhoury said. “With the juniors and others practicing during the off-season, we will have a chance at another conference win.”
