Oakmont faithful rally to save season.

COLUMN: GOLF/VOLLEYBALL

Just a few weeks ago, Oakmont Regional golf coach Phil Hanno was ready to begin his 23rd straight season coaching the Spartans. And he was in a great mood after carding a solid round of 75 at Ellinwood Country Club in Athol during a sunny mid-August afternoon.

The next day, however, Hanno received the bad news. Because of budget cuts, the Oakmont varsity golf team was being eliminated, along with freshman football, freshman boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' indoor track, junior varsity ice hockey and middle school cheerleading. A total of $60,000 had to be carved out of the Oakmont athletic budget.

But now there's good news. The Oakmont varsity golf team is alive and well, and Hanno is back coaching. Last Friday, the Spartans notched their first win of the season, defeating Narragansett at the Westminster Country Club.

With whirlwind activity in only seven days, the Oakmont players and parents raised enough money to fund the team for the 2007 season.

A scramble tournament to benefit the team was held on very quick notice at Westminster Country Club, and 65 players teed it up.

Explained Oakmont athletic director Dave LaRoche, "A lot of people came forward, led by Mike and Don LeBlanc of Westminster Country Club. The golf outing raised $5,300 to run the program. It's a great testament to the work of the parents and the kids."

Said Hanno, "I can't say enough about the generosity of the LeBlanc family and the hard work of people like Dick Mackey and Bob Cudak, who helped get the word out about the tournament. In just a week's time, the money was raised so Oakmont could continue to have a varsity golf team."

Added Hanno, "We had over 30 sponsors and many donations from people. We ended up getting a little bit of a surplus, and that money can go toward buying golf balls for the kids and maybe carrying over for next year's team. Mike LeBlanc, who was on my team over 15 years ago, led the way with the organization, along with Nancy Knihtila, Sandy Gardner, Sherri LeBlanc, Mike and Sue Alario, Laurie Ciccolini and Lucie St. Jean."

Hanno said that thank you cards along with a team photo will soon be sent out to every sponsor and participant in the golf tournament. He added, "Even the winning teams turned their prize money back into the fund for the team."

Hanno could not compete in the tournament himself. His father-in-law had passed away, and he and his wife were in Ohio at the funeral.

"Before I left for Ohio, Hanno said, "one of our senior captains, Seth Knihtila, pointing a finger, said to me, `Coach, don't worry. We're going to have a golf team this year.' Well, I got a little choked up after that."

Said Knihtila after the recent victory over Narragansett, "I just didn't think a varsity sport should be cut. We wanted to prove that we really wanted to play."

Added senior co-captain Adam St. Jean, "I was shocked when I first read in the paper about the cuts. I talked to Seth and said, `We're going to get this back.' We went to the committee meeting and just stated our case."

When he returned from Ohio, Hanno got the team together, including other starters Nicco Ciccolini, Matt Kearns, Dave LeBlanc, Matt Alario, Vinny McInnis and Taylor Breau. "I told them that they were a very special bunch of guys. We may not have the best record in the league this year, and we lost seven seniors from last year's team that made the districts, but I know this season I will be coaching the golf team with the biggest hearts of any team around. God bless them all. Personally, I would have felt lost this fall without a team to coach."

What's in the bag?

Narragansett senior ace Jeff Flis, who placed 10th in the Division 3 state championship last year, carries the following: A King Cobra 440SZ driver with 10.5 degree loft, a Callaway X-Series 17-degree 4-wood and two Titleist 585 H hybrid clubs, a 24-degree and a 19-degree. Flis uses the Titleist 804 oversized forged irons, 4-iron through pitching wedge. He carries a 58-degree Titleist Spin Mill wedge and a 52-degree Vokey design. On the greens, he uses a 34-inch Odyssey blade two-ball putter.

Fast start for Rangers

The Westboro girls' volleyball team, coached by Roger Anderson, opened its season with a 3-0 win over Shrewsbury last week.

Anderson, now in his ninth year at Westboro, led the Rangers to the Division 2 Central Mass. championship five years ago. Last year, his team went undefeated in the regular season, capturing Mid-Wach A and advancing to the Central Mass. final before losing to Medfield, the eventual state champion.

The Rangers compete among Mid-Wach A schools, including Marlboro, Milford, Algonquin, North Middlesex and Wachusett, their next opponent this Wednesday.

Leading the way for Westboro this fall are senior captains Mina Baban, at setter, middle hitter Danielle Coffey, and Christina Carr, an outside hitter. Baban and Coffey were chosen for the Division 2 all-state team last year.

"Our senior captains are really the heart of our team. Their volleyball knowledge is pretty high for high school kids," Anderson said. "They all have a passion for volleyball and put in a tremendous amount of work throughout the winter and summer in getting ready for the season. We were just a step away from beating Medfield last year, and these girls just went to work right after that. They're great leaders on and off the court."

NAME: OAKMONT REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL; NARRAGANSETT REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL; WESTBORO HIGH SCHOOL