By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer

In the past Hopedale Golf Coach Jim McCallum has had a dozen athletes come out for the team, but this fall things are different as the Blue Raiders have had an influx of players looking to make the cut.  With Covid putting a stop or making adjustments to high school sports over the last year, it’s a possibility that kids are looking to get involved in some sort of athletics. McCallum is not sure why, but is excited to see the increase in golfers this year.

“Last year we only got to play 6-8 matches with no post-season. This year we had good news with 16 athletes coming out for the team, it was the largest group I’ve had in 10 years,” the Hopedale Coach said. “It was surprising to me, I’m not exactly sure why; is it kids looking to try the sport for the first time or kids who have dabbled in other sports looking to try something different? I’m not sure, but it will allow the chance of interest in the sport and spreading.”

The Blue Raiders only senior and team captain Joel Bernardes will most likely see action in the fourth spot for Hopedale on the course, but it is his guidance toward the younger golfers that the Coach is looking for from his senior captain.

“Right now, it’s still early in the season and I am trying to grasp and figure out the lineup,” McCallum said. “Joel shoots a solid game and is in the low 40s and although he is currently slated to play in the fourth slot, I’m looking for him to provide leadership on the course. He is like a second coach and does the things that I cannot do since I am not at the high school.”

Currently and although it is subject to change at any time throughout the season, sophomore Lucas Levasseur will be the Hopedale’s number one golfer. According to the Coach, Levasseur has worked really hard this summer on this swing; he’s hitting the ball longer and straighter.  He has an all-around game and is shooting in the high to low 30s.

Right on the heels on Levasseur is newcomer Colin Haynes. The seventh grader also is shooting in the mid to high 30s. 

“Having a seventh grader on the team is very rare. Sure, I’ve had some seventh graders over the years, but it is not all that frequent,” the Coach said. “Colin has been a pleasant surprise; he has a really good swing and is fundamentally strong in his game. He definitely has the mindset to be a good golfer.”

Despite his young age, Haynes has been working with his father who has been teaching him the finer points of the game and provided he doesn’t decide to change schools in the future, McCallum will have him on the Blue Raiders squad for six years as he grows and improves his game.

In front of the captain in the third spot will be junior jake Frohn, a three-year golfer for the Blue Raiders who possesses an all-around good game and will be shooting in the low 40s.

 Sophomores Cameron Kiviehan, new to the team, and Carter Lachiatto, a low to mid 40s shooter, currently have secured the fifth and sixth spots on the team. At this time McCallum is still undecided on alternates. 

Junior Jacob Smith, playing in his first season, has looked impressive in practice shooting a best of 44 and has the inside track. Hopedale also has a bunch of golfers who have shot in the low 50s but again McCallum is taking the wait and see approach to see how things play out over the next few matches. 

As Covid made a mess of last year’s season and how things played out Hopedale is looking to get back on the golf courses and put up some low numbers. Two years prior the Blue Raiders were hoovering around the .500 mark in terms of their record, McCallum is looking to improve the team’s overall performance.

“Playing in the Dual Valley Conference is tough as there are only four teams (Sutton, Douglas Nipmuc and Hopedale),” he said. “This year is definitely the strongest team that I’ve had in some years, at least on paper we’re a very solid team. After watching these kids in practice and our first few matches, I am very optimistic.”

Having only three other teams in the league while playing a home and an away contest give the Blue Raiders at least 6 matches. The Coach is hoping that Stephanie Ridolfi, the school’s Athletic Director, is able to secure another 6 non-league schools to play against giving the team a 12-game schedule. 

“We have a couple of matches hanging in the balance, hoping that the high schools can courses they play on can juggle their schedules,” McCallum said. “We know our league very well since it’s so small, so we know the competition, but the non-league games are a different story as we don’t know what we are going up against.”

Looking to his rather young team McCallum had figured that Levasseur was going to be a talented golfer and he hasn’t disappointed, while Haynes was an unknown and thus has been a nice surprise. If the remainder of the team starts to fall in place who knows what type of season the Blue Raiders can have. Coach McCallum is hoping that his squad can record a regular season with wins north of the .500 mark.