Cape golf team continues winning streak
April 27, 2007
The Cape Henlopen High School Viking golf team continues to improve their scoring and add to the ranks of the team’s medallists, as they raised their season record to 6-2 with a pair of recent victories.
On April 19, the squad hosted the Laurel Bulldogs on the front nine at Rehoboth Beach Country Club and won fairly handily, 155-181.
Dino Nardo won his first medallist honor in golf, shooting a three-over par 37 for his best competitive score ever.
“I try to do good,” he said simply. “I birdied the [par-four] sixth hole. I hit driver and then my 56 [degree wedge], and stuck it a couple feet away.”
Co-captain Samantha Purple was also pleased with her 38, including the fact that her play was so steady. “I had four bogeys and the rest were pars. I don’t think I three-putted during that round,” she said.
Tristan Karsnitz matched Purple with his 38, which was also his best competitive round in his young golf career. “It was good. I birdied the sixth hole, and on seven, I left my birdie putt about this short,” as he held two fingers about a half-inch away. “But I doubled 19, [the par-3 on the edge of Rehoboth Bay]. I hit a wedge just over the green, and then skulled an easy chip shot 20 feet past the hole.”
Sophomore Sean Toner completed the team scoring with his 42, which also marked his first time competing for the Viking varsity. “I made a few pars,” he said.
Apparently Nardo liked being in first, because he repeated the performance again in the April 24 match against the visiting Buccaneers from Milford High. The team scored 157 points, only two more than in their round against Laurel.
This time Nardo shot a two-over par 36, coming very close to the 35.7 average that co-captain Travis Parker has recently achieved. “On my first hole, I made a 15-footer for par. I had to scramble on the last hole [Number 1 on the RBCC course]. My drive faded into a bunker on the ninth hole. I hit a pitching wedge out of there, and then hit my 56 wedge onto the green. Then I made the one-putt for par. On that one I struggled a bit.”
Karsnitz and Parker matched scores with a pair of 40s, but Karsnitz had a few more adventures along the way.
“I doubled the eighth hole. My drive ended up underneath a holly tree. I tried to hit it low by bending over and hitting a little 5-iron, but the ball came out and hit another tree.”
On the other hand, Karsnitz saw something unusual during his play on the 19th hole. “I hit a wedge to about 5 feet and I had a birdie chance, but I ran the first putt about 2 feet past the hole. Then on my second putt, the ball rolled past the hole just a little bit and then it rolled backward into the hole.”
Purple shot a 41 to complete the team’s victory. “I had a lot of three putts, on almost half of the holes. But I also made a birdie, which was really surprising considering all the three-putts. It was just off the green and it was downhill about 20 feet, and it just rolled right in.”
Coach Claudio Smarrelli continues to be impressed at his young team’s performances, but he also knows that some tough competition awaits them. “We have several away matches coming up, including Sussex Central [at Sussex Pines] and at Sussex Tech [at The Rookery].”
If the Vikings continue to keep half or more of their match scores in the 30s, however, they should have a good chance against their downstate competition.