As Brookfield East's boys golf team opened its season, the Spartans knew returners Jude Shafer, Grady Gibson and Zachary Walsh were going to have to play well in order for the Spartans to have success.
The trio will anchor the East squad while younger players gain experience at the back end of the lineup.
"This is going to be the year of opportunities and gaining experience for a few new guys," Brookfield East coach Chris Minchk said. "We are returning three golfers who have quite a bit of match experience, but we're searching for a few more guys to slide into the number 4 and 5 spots for us this year.
"We are going to rely heavily on Jude, Grady and Zach this year. All three gentlemen contributed last season for us, but this year we need them to take the reins and lead the program. For us to be successful, these three gentlemen need to post some solid scores for us."
Shafer and Gibson both were in Brookfield East's sectional lineup a year ago as juniors, but the Spartans lost their top three sectional finishers in Jacob Taylor, Lucas Moyer and Logan Kerstetter.
Fighting for the fourth and fifth spots in the Spartans lineup this season will be juniors Will Zimmerman, Jacob Beenhuis and Dominic Mussatto, sophomore Andrew Van Ert and freshmen Ryan Reilly, Peter Gutenberger and Connor McSorely.
"I'm excited about the youth that we have in the program," Minchk said. "Ryan Reilly and Peter Gutenberger are going to be our cornerstones for the next four years, but we need to give them opportunities to gain match experience this year. As with any freshman golfer, we're going to have some growing pains along the way. I know they're going to put in the time to make the adjustments to get better each week.
"I'm equally excited for Will Zimmerman. Will's put quite a bit of time into his game during the offseason. His swing is more mature this year, which is going to enable him to score like I know he can. "
The Spartans took fourth place at the first Greater Metro Conference mini-meet of the season April 24 at Bluemound Golf and Country Club and then tied for seventh at the Brookfield Central Invitational at Wanaki Golf Course on April 26.
Brookfield East shot a 163 to finish behind Wauwatosa and Marquette at 152 and Brookfield Central at 161.
Gibson paced Brookfield East with a score of 38. Shafer shot a 40, Walsh fired a 41, Reilly carded a 44 and Gutenberger rounded out the lineup with a 45.
"I was really happy to see Grady play well," Minchk said. "He's put so much time into his game during the offseason, he deserves some great rounds this season. Grady was striking the ball extremely well. When Grady is hitting fairways, he's going to have a great round. Shafer had a few too many bogeys during his round. He's been our most consistent golfer so far this season. Jude's going to have a great season for us this year, his swing has matured quite a bit from last year."
At the Brookfield Central Invitational on April 26, the Spartans shot a 325 to tie for seventh place with Menomonee Falls just one stroke back of sixth-place Brookfield Central and two shots behind Wauwatosa.
Shafer and Walsh each ended with a 78 to lead the Spartans. Gibson finished with an 83, Reilly fired an 86 and Zimmerman had an 88.
"I was very excited to see both Jude and Zach shoot in the 70s," Minchk said. "They're both capable of going low on any given day, but they need to realize that they should shoot in the 70s regardless if they're striking the ball well or poorly. In order for us to have any success, we need multiple guys to shoot well. Zach continues to strike the ball extremely well. His chipping and putting continues to get better each day.
"Jude keeps putting himself in great positions off the tee, which has helped in score this season. I can't wait for the day when we start making putts; it's going to be a memorable day. Grady's over-aggressiveness cost him a few shots. He's going to learn from this round and make adjustments the next time we play. He's good enough to make birdies with his wedges, so we'll keep working on course management throughout the season. Reilly continues to play well for us. I'm always a little hesitant to play a freshman this early in the season, but Ryan's demeanor and golf IQ have been his key this season."
