BY RYAN O'CONNOR
Age means nothing when a group of players possesses considerable skill.
At least that’s the contention of Pembroke golf coach Mike Desilets, speaking specifically about Bedford High School’s golf team.
In fact, Desilets said he expects Bedford’s freshmen and sophomores to compete with perennial Class I powers such as Lebanon and Hanover as early as this year.
Bedford coach Joel St. Laurent, on the other hand, is tempering his expectations. Yet even he had to admit he is impressed with the Bulldogs’ 9-3 record through Sept. 13 in this, the team’s inaugural campaign.
“We have to not get ahead of ourselves here. We need to enjoy what we’re doing and see where it takes us,” said St. Laurent, who cautioned that teenagers are easily distracted and, though golf is a passion of theirs now, three years is a long time to stay focused on one facet of high school life.
“Right now, we’re happy, we’re excited, and I’ve got a great group of kids that love to play. They practice hard, they play hard, and they’re really a joy to be around.”
Among this year’s golfers are Jake Nutter, a 14-year-old freshman, who last year led McKelvie Middle School to its first title.
Nutter, said St. Laurent, is playing as well as any golfer in the state right now.
He has led not just his team in scoring each of his first four high school matches, but all 32 players teeing up each time out.
He fired a 34 on Aug. 30, then followed with back-to-back 37s at Manchester Country Club, Bedford’s home course, on Sept. 4 and 6.
Most recently, at Amherst Country Club, against Pembroke, Hollis-Brookline, and host Souhegan, Nutter carded a 36.
“Again, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. He’s a tremendous talent, but he works hard at it. He’s a level-headed kid, and he’s not gonna let (the early success) get to his head,” said his coach. “He just knows, ‘Here’s the tee, here’s the fairway, here’s the pin, and let’s tally it up at the end.’ The other kids see it, though, and appear to be feeding off him.”
Including Nutter, St. Laurent said there is heavy competition for the eight player spots for each match.
The other golfers on this year’s squad include sophomores Andrew Weeks, Travis Martin, Kevin White, Max Lawless and William Herrera – many played for West High School last year – and freshmen Zach Husband, Matt Woodmansee, Colin Pratt and Joe Angelini, one of Nutter’s McKelvie mates.
“Weeks is a tremendous ball striker, but his putting doesn’t match up right now,” said St. Laurent of one of his other top players. “But we’re working on that and more efficient putting scores will really reflect well on him.”
Martin, Husband and White, said St. Laurent, have made a quantum leap from August, when he first met them, to now; they have proven to be emerging talents.