By David Steinbacher
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 4/21/05)

Both the Paul VI Catholic High School Panthers and the Bishop Ireton High School Cardinals are turning in excellent golf seasons. As of April 19, Paul VI had an overall record of 6-0 and Ireton had an overall record of 6-2.

The Panthers, coached by Milt Papke, have defeated (chronologically): St. Mary's Ryken High School (8-1), Gonzaga College High School (5-4), Bishop McNamara High School (9-0), Our Lady of Good Counsel High School (7.5-1.5), St. Stephens/St. Agnes High School (7.5-1.5) and Bishop O'Connell High School (8.5-0.5).

The "Black and Gold" are led by juniors Justin Wingo, Greg Hanlon, Bobby Lytle, Chris Savage; sophomore Pat Hanlon and freshman Jon Pfotenhauer. In addition, junior Steve Maslowsky and sophomore Todd McDonald see action periodically.

"I am kind of fortunate that both Hanlon brothers and Chris Savage transferred into Paul VI. Some years you lose players early and some years you get (pleasantly surprised) by the student/athletes that transfer in," said Papke.

Wingo, one of the most decorated golfers in PVI history, drew rave reviews from his coach.

"Justin was the Junior Club Champion at Country Club of Fairfax last summer. He is a one handicap player who is real steady. He is one of the top players in the metro area," said Papke.

"Both of the Hanlons are about a five handicap," Papke said. Lytle is about a five handicap as well. Savage is about a six handicap and Pfotenhauer is about a seven-handicap."

"I can drive off of the tee pretty well and I can putt pretty well," Wingo said. "All of us on the team are friends and that helps a lot with team unity. We can go pretty far this year."

Last season, PVI finished fourth in WCAC match play and tied Ireton for fourth in the prestigious WCAC Tournament.

"The strength of the team is our consistency," Papke said. "All of the guys strike the ball well and they're all capable of coming in with low scores. We've got three very important matches this week."

PVI played Landon on April 19 but it was too late for this edition.

Ireton, coached by Ken Baskette, have defeated St. Stephens/St. Agnes (6.5-2.5), Wilson, D.C. (9-0), Good Counsel (6.5-2.5), O'Connell (8-1), St. Johns (8-1) and St. Mary's Ryken (8.5-0.5).

Along the way, the Cardinals have dropped matches to DeMatha (2.5-6.5) and Gonzaga (4-5).

Ireton is led by seniors Kyle Schutt and Ben Monroe as well as juniors: Jeff Henry, Mike Brideau, Sean Fagan and Kevin Warnke.

In addition, sophomore Doug Fife and freshmen Erick Stone and Phil Goldblatt see action periodically.

"Generally speaking, Jeff (Henry) probably comes in with the lowest scoring average on a nine-hole course," said Baskette.

"Jeff had a real great year in 2004. He hurt his back over the winter however, and is just getting back [to form]. During the summer of '04, he earned the Metropolitan Golf Association Junior Player of the Year.

"Jeff is a real smart player and he shows real good ‘course management.’"

Brideau played soccer and was also the football teams placekicker during the fall of 2004.

"Mike usually places second and he can hit the ball a long way," said his coach.

Regarding underclassmen Fagan, Warnke, Fife, Stone and Goldblatt, Baskette said, "I'm very comfortable with any of these players. They are all capable of shooting in the low 40s."

"Probably my personal highlight of the season was being down two holes with two holes to play versus DeMatha," Warnke said. "I was able to come back and tie my match. This season, we would like to win the Alexandria City Championship (for the third consecutive season) and we'd really like to also win the VIS State Championship and the WCAC Championship."

Last season, Ireton finished third in the WCAC regular season match play and tied with Paul VI for fourth in the prestigious WCAC Tournament.

"The strength of the team is the players’ experience," said Baskette. "They play real well together and they're real compatible with one another."

Ireton is scheduled to meet Paul VI on April 21 and then squares off with McNamara on April 26.