When Pinkerton Academy golf coach Joe Lee peruses his 2014 roster, he sees boys named Marshall, Matt and Jason listed alongside young ladies named Kaitlyn and Lauren and Michaela, and all of them intent upon helping to make their co-ed contingent a power in New Hampshire high school golf this fall.
Seniors Kaitlyn Lutinski, Matt Barnes, and Jason Bing and junior Marshall Halpin are all returning starters from a 2013 Pinkerton squad that posted a fine, 26-13 record last autumn on the way to a strong, third-place team finish in the state title match.
Other varsity returnees include senior Michaela Griffin and juniors Matt Hall and Nate Ralston, so there’s no shortage of battle-tested veterans in the Pinkerton fold.
Add to those standouts incoming freshmen Lauren Thibodeau – the four-time defending state junior girls’ golf champion and New Hampshire women’s tournament runner-up – and junior golf standout Erin Dellorusso, along with their fellow ninth grader Jarrod Foster, and Lee’s contingent has promising newcomers for whom many high school golf coaches would probably give a season’s salary.
In short, multiple male and female golfers will play vital roles in the fortunes of the 2014 Pinkerton golf squad, and with young ladies like Lutinski, Thibodeau, Griffin and Dellorusso all having already experienced the pressures of tournament play, they could all help the Astros hit the heights before the season has been completed.
“We finished well last year and developed nicely as the year progressed, which I think is going to be a key to success again this year,” said Lee. “We need to try and improve every day, round by round, in hopes that we can play our best round of the year in early October.”
As he looked over the list of other competing squads and was asked which ones concern him the most, the veteran PA coach responded, “Bedford, Keene, and Bishop Guertin (of Nashua) always seem to compete and often bring a roster of kids who can all contribute.”
