With their 9-0 victory over Mattituck on Oct. 8, the Blue Waves secured six straight league championships and a record of 58-2 in their last 60 league matches.

“Golf is life,” Riverhead head coach Steve Failla said. “Everyone that comes through this program feels that way. It’s a constant competition in practice. They’re all pushing each other to get better and the results we’ve had are based on that hard work.”

Over the course of the season, Riverhead has dropped three points only once. Most of their victories were clean, 9-0 sweeps. Led by senior Colby Baran, who has been on varsity since his eighth-grade season and is the only Riverhead golfer to ever go to the New York State championships twice, the Blue Waves are looking to bring home their first Suffolk County team championship in school history. They’ve made it to the final four twice.

“Over all the years we’ve come to realize that no matter how badly we beat the teams in our division, there’s very good teams out there across Suffolk County,” Baran said. “We need to prepare for that mentally and bring our best game when the playoffs come around.”

Baran has had an electric career and could very well be the best Riverhead golfer to ever don the blue and white. After the match against Mattituck, Baran put the final stroke on his league resume — a perfect 50-0. The senior lefty never surrendered a point in five years of golf. Through nine holes of play, Baran has averaged a 36 this season. He’s put up a career best 32 at Cherry Creek Golf Links.

“We’ve been blessed with Colby over the last five years,” Failla said. “Not only with his ability to play with the best of the best but the way he leads by example. He puts in the work and that’s why you see the results. He works extremely hard at his craft. His work ethic is unmatched.”

Riverhead has six golfers who average a 41 or better through nine holes, which should set them up for success come playoff time. Other top scorers include Logan Dempsey (39), Mason Sidik (40), Liam Sullivan (41), Max Gajowski (41) and Kyle Hubbard (41).

Last year, Riverhead was knocked out of the playoffs because of the total team score. The individual matches were split, with both teams getting three wins, and the tiebreaker was the total team score.

“That’s why this season we are stressing not to get overwhelmed and try to do too much in the playoffs against the better teams,” Dempsey said. “Sometimes we get all zoned in about winning our individual match and try to make a shot we shouldn’t take and add strokes to our total team count. The pressure definitely gets different once the playoffs start, but we have to think about it as a team, not so much individually.”

The lineup has been changed all season long with Failla choosing to play the hot hand. Though the lineup only features six starters, all 11 players on the team have won an individual match during league play.

“The only way to get better is through competition. There are no free spots on the team,” Failla said. “We put a major emphasis on that for the entire season. That’s why we’ve been able to compete for so many years. We’re used to those competitive atmospheres. We’re in it every day.”

Though Riverhead has fallen short in years past for the Suffolk County team championship, this year brings another opportunity at history. Northport won the Suffolk County championship last year after beating previously unbeaten Westhampton in the semifinals and then knocking off Mt. Sinai to win it all.

“I’ve said it all along: It’s not always the best team that wins,” Failla said. “It’s the team that’s playing the best that day. That’s sports. That’s golf. We just need to stay the course and hopefully things fall our way this year.”

The 24-team playoff starts on Oct. 23.

The post Riverhead boys golf eyes first county championship after league title appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Not one, but two Riverhead golfers qualified for the New York State championship at Wild Wood Country Club in Rush, N.Y., on June 8. Angelina Gust, a senior, and Madison Marshak, a freshman, are the first Riverhead girls to qualify, finishing third and seventh, respectively, in the Suffolk County tournament.

“After how they finished last year, I knew they both had a shot at qualifying this year,” Riverhead head coach Steve Failla said. “We knew there weren’t any dramatic changes that needed to be made. We’ve been working more on the mental part of the game and the approach than anything else. These girls have worked their butts off, and it’s showing now.”

A year after finishing 10th and 11th, just missing out on the top nine placing to make it to states, both girls came out with a determination to get through to the championships.

“For me, it has always been nerves,” Gust said. “This year I was finally calm. I focused on staying in the moment and enjoying it. I was confident out there. Especially since it’s my senior year. This was my last shot at this. It was something I wanted to do since I started golfing.”

Gust posted an 85 the first day at the county tournament, which instantly put her right among the top of the competitors. But that didn’t ease her mind.

“I’ve had good rounds before,” Gust said. “In this tournament, it’s about being consistent, and I knew it didn’t matter where I was placing after day one. I needed to have a good day two.”

Down the stretch, the senior really locked, notching two birdies in the last handful of holes. In the back nine holes, Gust scored 39, which equaled her best nine-hole round this season. Her 81 on the scoreboard for the second round secured third place in the tournament.

“I had a good feel about where I was on the second day,” Gust said. “I just had to manage the stress, and I was happy when it was all over. I was super happy with how I played.”

In the group just behind her was Marshak. Though they weren’t playing together, they kept an eye on one another, quietly rooting for the other to play well.

Even though Marshak is only a freshman, she’s been on this stage before. She’s been on varsity since seventh grade, and last year, she finished in 10th place and was named the alternate for states. One less stroke over the two rounds of play would have earned her ninth place and a trip to states.

“I practiced so much last summer to prepare for this,” Marshak said. “I did a lot of tournaments. I just worked on scoring and tried to improve all parts of my game. I came into county’s confident this year, and that confidence is everything in golf.” After shooting an 88 in the first round, Marshak cut strokes off her game in the final round, registering an 84. A string of pars and a 40 in the final nine helped secure her a spot. “I mean, that’s how you finish a tournament,” Failla said. “A 39 and a 40 are you kidding me? The best golfers show up on the final day, and I can confidently say we have two of the best in the county right here in Riverhead.”

Gust and Marshak will join fellow Blue Wave Colby Baran, who qualified for states on the boy’s side in the fall.

“Only 18 high school golfers in Suffolk County are going to states,” Failla said. “Three of them are from Riverhead. Let that sink in. Our community supports us, the golf courses around here support us and our studentathletes have stepped up to the plate. This is a big step for us as a program, and we hope to continue building on this success for years to come.”

The post Pair of Riverhead girls golfers make history on the links appeared first on Riverhead News Review.