GREENFIELD TWP. — Honesdale’s boys varsity golf team is enjoying a stellar season in both Lackawanna League and tournament action this fall.
Under the direction of first year head coach Gene Hopkins, the Hornets are right in the thick of the playoff chase with an overall record of 8-3.
“I’m very happy with how things are going,” the rookie skipper said. “This is a great group of kids, and they’ve really turned things around since an early season loss to Valley View.”
That disappointing 7-2 loss back on Aug. 15 seemed to galvanize the Hornets, who went on to settle the score a month later via an 8-1 victory at HGC.
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Honesdale’s most recent achievement came on Monday at this year’s pre-district qualifier. The event was held at Elkview Country Club in Greenfield Township and attracted more than 100 golfers.
Highlighting the day for the red and black were Peter Modrovsky, Nate Greene and Lucas Stephens, all of whom will advance to the District 2 Class AAA Championships.
“Conditions were definitely tough,” Hopkins said. “That made the course play a little longer, and it was cold with some wind. I’m happy for the three boys who made it and disappointed for the three who didn’t.”
Weather permitting, the 2023 District 2 tournament is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 3 at Fox Hill Country Club in Exeter.
Setting the stage
Honesdale opened up its regular season slate with a hard-fought victory over Scranton High School.
The Hornets then suffered an unexpected setback at Valley View, but bounced right back with a rout of West Scranton. However, a lopsided loss at the hands of Abington Heights left the local lads treading water at 2-2.
It was at this point in the young season that something changed. Over the course of the next three weeks, Honesdale reeled off six consecutive wins. Included among these were clutch victories over North Pocono, Wallenpaupack Area and Valley View.
“I think the wins against North Pocono and Paupack in particular helped spark some confidence in the boys,” Hopkins said. “It really showed them what they are capable of.”
It also gave them a real sense of momentum heading into pre-districts, culminating in three Hornets qualifying for this year’s District 2 tournament.
Headed for districts
Modrovsky is a multi-sport standout who also excels on the baseball diamond and basketball court.
“I began playing (golf) just for fun,” Peter said. “But, then I started to believe in myself and caught the golf bug. Freshman year was rough, but now it’s pretty amazing to see how far we’ve all come as a team.”
The senior southpaw is currently tied for the Hornets lead with an overall individual record of 9-3. On Monday at Elkview, Modrovsky battled his way to an 18-hole total of 83. That score was good enough for a top-10 finish and a spot at districts.
Greene is another versatile athlete who’s lettered in baseball and basketball as well as golf.
Greene first picked up the clubs at age 12, playing alongside his dad. It wasn’t long before he took the next step to compete at the interscholastic level.
Greene sports a solid 7-4-1 record. On Monday at Elkview, he used his driver effectively en route to a round of 84, which catapulted him into the district mix.
“Coming in I was just hoping to put up a decent score to qualify,” Nate said. “I hit my driver in some key positions which allowed me to score well.”
The key shot of Greene’s day came at the 548-yard eighth hole. Greene split the fairway with a big drive, then hammered a six iron to within 4 feet of the pin. He calmly drained his eagle putt on the way to a top-10 finish.
Stephens first started playing at 5. He’d tag along with his father at Honesdale Golf Club, continuing a family links tradition that spans four generations.
He is 9-3-0 with just three regular-season matches remaining.
Stephens carded 43 on the front and 43 on the back. The highlight of his day came with a birdie at the par-5 opening hole to start a qualifying round of 86.
“The key to my game was that I drove the ball well and kept it in play the entire round,” Lucas said.
On the horizon
With district and state tournaments looming, Honesdale golfers are focused on closing out the regular season on a high note.
The Hornets have three Lackawanna League contests left on the schedule. After Wednesday’s road trip to North Pocono, they’ll close out the campaign with home matches against Delaware Valley (Sept. 21) and Wallenpaupack Area (Sept. 25).
“We’re battling for seeding, and my goal is to finish in the two-spot so we host a playoff match,” Hopkins said. “These boys have had a great year and are a pleasure to work with.“
As of Tuesday, Honesdale holds down second place among Division I teams. The Hornets trail undefeated Abington Heights (10-0) in the standings.
Paupack is ranked third (7-2-1), while North Pocono is fourth (5-5-1).
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: A trio of Hornet golfers advance to the District 2 golf tourney