SEVILLE, Ohio -- On Friday, Rocky River golfers got the ball rolling -- metaphorically, as the first program out of the gate in the 2022-23 school year, and literally, launching tee shots, targeting approaches, and lagging putts back and forth around the property at Rawiga Golf Club. And the Pirates did so with great efficiency, tallying fewer rolls (strokes) than any other team in the 2022 Great Lakes Conference Preview.
Rocky River -- which finished as runner-up in the GLC Tournament last fall (Oct. 1) -- won Friday's 12-team league event. The Pirates carded a four-man score of 321, which edged the Westlake Demons -- last year's champion team -- by five strokes. River's score bested its Oct. 1 card by eight strokes.
"The course was firm, but the greens were receptive," said seventh-year coach David Hendrickson, whose Pirate squads won six straight GLC crowns (2015-20) before being upended by the Demons last autumn. "We had a couple guys got off to some slow starts today, but they bounced back really well. Our guys kept their heads in it and made some great swings."
Great swings -- and not too many of them -- make for the right way to start a season.
The Pirates -- who placed second at last year's GLC Preview -- were paced by three sub-80 rounds. Junior Luke Dietrich -- a returning letterman and a first-team all-GLC performer in 2021 -- led the way with a 40-37--77 on the par-72, 6,359-yard course on a warm day that saw the field of 72 finish just a few minutes ahead of thunderstorms. Dietrich, who was the runner-up in the 2021 GLC Tournament hit a team-high 10 green on the day. On the team card, he was just ahead of fellow juniors Nick Tianello (40-38--78) and Dan Capka (39-40--79). Senior Owen Toole logged a 46-41--87 to finish as Rocky River's No. 4.
As a team, the Pirates (top 4) found 48.2% of fairways while hitting 47.2% of greens in regulation. They averaged 33.8 putts per man.
Dietrich closed out his opening round of the season in fine fashion, booming a big drive on the 395-year par-4 18th and hitting his approach to 8 feet. The 2021 district qualifier sank the birdie putt to finish with River's top score of the day. Tianello and Capka also recorded birdies on the day. Capka's 79 -- built on the strength of nine fairways and as many greens in regulation -- marked a new career-best.
Rocky River (321), Westlake (326), and Bay (334) were the top three teams in the circuit kick-off event. Hendrickson expects the Pirates, Demons, and Rockets to battle it out for GLC supremacy this fall, so Friday's affair in Seville was indeed a preview of things to come.
"The top of this league has some pretty even talent," he said. "This was an encouraging day, and it feels good to start the year with a victory."
River's GLC matches are slated to get underway Aug. 16. The league's title tournament will be held Sept. 19 at Grey Hawk Golf Club in Lagrange, Ohio. The Pirates went 10-1 over 11 GLC matches last fall.
CANNON FIRE ...
RIVER ROSTER: The varsity roster includes four returning lettermen: Dietrich and Tianello were first-team all-conference in 2021. Toole was a GLC second-teamer. Senior Wes Bennett was a GLC honorable mention.
ON DECK: The Swinging Corsairs are scheduled to continue their season Monday at the Polar Bear Invitational hosted by Massillon Jackson High School. The Monday event at Shady Hollow Country Club in Massillon jump starts a busy week for the Maroon & White: River is slated to play in events on four straight days, Monday-Thursday. ... The Pirate junior varsity is scheduled to get underway Monday.
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