With only three rounds of golf under its belt, head coach Paul TenEyck wasn’t sure what to expect from a team with three sophomores in the starting five and a junior who spent most of his time on JV last year. 

“Joe [Murdock], Nicholas [Notarnicola], and Philip [Murdock]’s scores all counted last year, and those three were relied on a lot,” coach TenEyck acknowledged. “We’re expecting some new faces like Brett Comiskey and Adam Koval to step up this year, but it’s hard to tell what this team will look like in a few weeks.”

This underclassmen-dominant squad will have to rely on senior Joe Murdock to finish in the top five match after match, tournament after tournament; however, if FHC has any aspirations beyond the OK White, underclassmen like Brett Comiskey are going to have to step up. 

Known for recording a season-low score of 35 last year against Lowell, Brett is the closest thing Joe is going to find as a reliable second-in-command. 

“The young guys like Adam and Brett are key players for us this year,” Joe said. “Their scores will matter. I’m excited to see what they can do.”

On Monday, at the Forest Hills Invitational hosted by Forest Hills Northern and Egypt Valley, the underclassmen showed glimpses of brilliance amid a rocky outing from Joe, who finished tied for eighth with Northpointe’s Luke Shrock and Saginaw Heritage’s Gladki with a score of 79 over 18 holes. Although his younger counterparts pulled their own weight, the closest Rangers to Joe on the leaderboard, Brett and sophomore Philip Murdock, placed 43rd overall. Compared to Mona Shores and other opponents who had at least four golfers finish in the top 25, FHC doesn’t have the depth to get it done. For now, Brett and Philip, not to mention Adam and Nicholas, will all be expected to grow into their roles behind Joe and help the senior punch his ticket to states for the second time in a row. 

“Today was only the third time we have played this season as a team due to the weather, so it’s hard to quantify what we did today,” coach TenEyck explained. “Overall, I was fairly satisfied with today. We had some good and some bad; no matter what, I’m expecting the underclassmen to keep on developing as the season goes on and learning their new roles.”

From here on out, the pace of the season won’t slow down at all. Tomorrow, on Wednesday the twelfth, the boys will resume action in the Kent County Classic at Thornapple Pointe. Yet again, FHC is gifted with the opportunity to compete against some of the best golf talents in West Michigan—in its backyard.