Golf preview: Kellam appears to be the team to beat

PRESEASON TOP 10

1. Kellam: The Knights have depth and youth. Senior Wade Wawner and freshman Alex Lloyd lead a team that finished third in the Beach District last season, but many see Kellam as a team that could wrest the Group AAA state title from defending champ Cox. ''They’re the team to beat,” Hickory coach John Holmes said.

2. Cox: The Falcons are two-time defending state champions and should make a run for the title again with Brinson Paolini back for his senior season. Over the summer, Paolini became the first player to win the VSGA state amateur and junior amateur in the same year.

3. Hickory: Holmes thinks his team should win the Southeastern District and give both Cox and Kellam a run for the Eastern Region title. And why not? With John Dawson and Jesse Dillon leading the way, and Lauren Coughlin back for her sophomore season, the Hawks have a strong lineup.

4. First Colonial: Patriots junior Andrew McCracken is considered one of the top golfers in the area, and he has a strong supporting cast. First Colonial has four seniors – Alex Gylfason, Jordan Egan, Trevor Hinson and David Domanski – who shoot in the 70s.

5. Western Branch: The Bruins lost five of their six starters from their 2007 team but still should make some noise in the Southeastern District. Sophomore Taylor Dichiara leads a young squad.

6. Princess Anne: Twin brothers Kevin and Kyle Phelps are back and should keep the Cavaliers in contention in the Beach District. Coach Hutch Hammond has four players who produce rounds in the 70s on a consistent basis.

7. Great Bridge: The Wildcats lost two of their best players, Andrew Gibbs and Paul Babashanian, to graduation after finishing second in the Southeastern District tournament last season. But Clay Strong, a state qualifier, is back for his senior year and so is junior Eric Ruse.

8. Grassfield: The Grizzlies, in their second year of existence, are one of the more experienced teams in the Southeastern District. They return seven players from the 2007 team that finished fourth in the district tournament.

9. Maury: The Commodores should be the favorites to win the Eastern District again after Churchland won the title last season. Maury has seven of its top eight golfers back from the last season, with John Garrett leading the pack. “We ought to be decent,” Maury coach Jack Baker said.

10. Kempsville: Mike Koch is back after missing last season and is expected to bolster the Chiefs, who were 5-5 in Beach District play in 2007. Kempsville returns seven players and has five newcomers.

DON'T COUNT OUT ...

Lakeland: The name that immediately comes to mind for the Cavaliers is Ben Hunter. Now a senior, Hunter, who shot a 64 last season at Bide-A-Wee, needs some help around him for Lakeland to be a top-10 team.

Ocean Lakes: An experienced team, the Dolphins have five of their top players returning. Senior Mike Sadowski, who qualified for the Eastern Region tournament, will set the pace.

PICKING THE DISTRICTS

Beach District

1. Kellam 2. Cox 3. First Colonial 4. Princess Anne 5. Kempsville 6. Ocean Lakes 7. Tallwood 8. Landstown 9. Green Run 10. Bayside 11. Salem

Eastern District

1. Maury 2. Churchland 3. Norview 4. Granby 5. Wilson 6. Lake Taylor 7. Norcom 8. Booker T. Washington

Southeastern District

1. Hickory 2. Western Branch 3. Great Bridge 4. Grassfield 5. Lakeland 6. Indian River 7. Nansemond River 8. King’s Fork 9. Deep Creek 10. Oscar Smith

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS

State Group AAA: Cox. Medalist – Danny Kim (Oakton).

Eastern Region: Cox. Medalist – Brinson Paolini (Cox).

Beach District: Cox. Medalist – Brinson Paolini (Cox).

Southeastern District: Hickory. Medalist – John Dawson (Hickory).

Eastern District: Churchland. Medalist – Matt Leon (Norview).

TEE SHOTS

-- Cox’s Brinson Paolini had quite a summer. He committed to play golf at Duke in June, then became the youngest player to win the Virginia State Amateur in 78 years. In July, he won the state junior amateur, then qualified for the U.S. Amateur. “He may be the best junior in the state possibly ever,” Kellam coach Jason Copeland said.

  --  Kellam’s Alex Lloyd has an impressive resume – and he’s only a freshman. Lloyd won the Payton Memorial last month, becoming the youngest champion in the tournament’s 61 years. A week later, he won in the Red Speigle Memorial junior tournament in Newport News. He might be the area’s top up-and-coming golfer. 

--  Former Deep Creek football coach David Cox is now in charge of the school’s golf team. Last year, Cox walked away from the sidelines after winning 95 games in 11 years with the Hornets.

  --  Lauren Coughlin became Hickory’s first female golfer last season, and she is expected to make a bigger impact this season. Coughlin recently competed in the Virginia state amateur for the first time, and she qualified for the championship flight. 

--  Granby coach Stuart Jones not only expects freshman Emily Lint to be one of his team’s best players but he also predicts that she will be one of the Eastern District’s top golfers. Lint shoots around 80 and will be counted on heavily by a team that finished third in the Eastern District tournament last season. 

--  Salem finished ninth in the Beach District last season. This year could be even tougher. The SunDevils have a completely new team. All of the players from the 2007 squad either graduated or moved away. “This is definitely a rebuilding year in the truest sense of the word,” Salem coach Tabb Pearson said.