The 2016 scholastic golf season got underway last week. Eight schools in the Times News coverage area will field teams this season.

Among the changes this season will be a pair of new coaches as Mike Chapman takes over at Jim Thorpe and Brian Kaminski steps in at Weatherly. By contrast, Marian's Len Brylewski is the veteran among area golf coaches as he begins his 24th season in charge of the Colt program.PALMERTONTHE MORE THE MERRIER ...Head coach Alex Knoll and assistant head coach Mike Brennan took over the Palmerton program last year and they had one goal: to make golf enjoyable for the kids."Mike and I wanted to first make golf fun again at the school and to have enough kids to come out," explained Knoll. "We wanted these kids to know that they have development for years to come. This year, we have 18 kids on the team that are dedicated to come out and want to play, even though they might not make the starting eight this year."THEY COME ...The Palmerton staff expects incoming freshman Nathan Kistler to make an impact with the team at some point this season.THEY GO ...Palmerton was 3-13 last year, but Knoll has seen some vast improvements. Graduated senior Jon Schwartz had an impressive 2015 campaign. He medaled at the Colonial League championship and missed qualifying for District 11 competition by just one stroke."The record doesn't show, I thought we did very well," explained Knoll. "We had a lot of new players that came out for the team. We were making some good progress by the end of the year."TEAM LEADERS ...The Blue Bombers feature five seniors that Knoll labeled as the leaders of the 2016 program: Kody Kolnik, John Frace, Joe Suto, Jake Gross, and John Blichar.SHHHHH, DON'T TELL THEM ...Knoll, who is also the assistant golf professional at the Bethlehem Golf Course, explained that all of his team's playing experience at Blue Shamrock will benefit them at home this season."The course definitely helps us, it's a tricky golf course, but it's always in great shape. You have to be very accurate off the tee. Strategy wise, our kids know how to play certain holes. If you haven't played there before, it could be tough."PLEASANT VALLEYPASSING THE TORCH ...The Bears received excellent careers from three seniors that graduated last year. Cody Scully, Matt Shafer, and Craig Roberts were each four-year letterwinners for coach Steve Krechel."We had a great season last year," said the Pleasant Valley head coach. "Those three counted in every match out of our five guys. Now they're gone, so we have a lot of new golfers.DIFFERENT ROLES ...The new-look PV squad will have big shoes to fill. Riley Helb and Nick Gattuso are both juniors who have some playing experience. They will be joined by senior Ryan Rimple."We have about five kids that played in matches last year, although their scores rarely counted because we had some solid players above them every match," Krechel said, "The knowledge and experience of playing on different courses and being with kids from other schools gets some of the nerves out of them. But, stepping up and playing with the best kids on the other teams, versus the other end of the spectrum is where they're at."ON THE RISE ...There is a trio of young Bears to look out for in 2016. Andrew Stewart (So.), Alex Prosper (So.), and Josh Schillinger (Jr.) will all be looking to make a splash this season."I'm looking for him to step right in and be part of the top-tier, said Krechel of Schillinger. "He played as a freshman, but didn't play as a sophomore, so he's got some experience."FROM BELTZVILLE TO THE ATLANTIC ...Pleasant Valley earned nine wins during its second year in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. The Bears were a part of the former Mountain Valley Conference."We were like the big fish in the little pond in the MVC. Now, jumping into with those guys (in the EPC), it's a totally different world. They're country club members, they play year round, it's just a different world of golf. Our goal is to improve in all aspects of the game, learn how to handle ourselves in tough situations, and grow as players - both on and off the course."TAMAQUAGUESS WHO'S BACK? …The Times News Golfer of the Year, Carson Schoener, will be returning for his junior season with the Raiders. He finished fourth in the Schuylkill League meet as a freshman. During his sophomore season, he qualified for District 11 competition and shot a 92 at the Schuylkill Country Club."Carson had a good run ... He had a real good year," said Tamaqua head coach Bill Kaczmarczyk. "He's only a junior, and if he puts the time in, he could be right up there with a lot of guys. He hits the ball far and well."GOOD THINGS COME IN SIXES …Tamaqua will rely on the production of six sophomores, led by Tavio Agosti, Tyler Bisbrow, and Nate Shellhamer.YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER, BUT …Kaczmarcyk made note of the potential that his team possesses. However, he knows that they have to put in the extra time and effort to achieve their goals."They have to learn to practice on their own. The course is there, they just have to put the time in to get the product out," Kaczmarcyk said. "I had a few at my all summer workouts but not as much as I'd like. If the starters put the time in, they could be really good. They play according to their scores. If they want to get better, I'm here to teach. They have to have the desire."TOUGH COURSE TO CRACK …The Raiders' coach said that accuracy will be a big key when playing their home matches at Mountain Valley."It's the toughest course, because you have to hit the ball straight and keep it in play. If you don't, it could hurt you very easily."SENIOR LEADERS …The young Tamaqua team will feature two seniors; Adam Shumgart and Gavin Seip.JIM THORPEBRAND NEW, SORT OF …First-year Jim Thorpe head coach Michael Chapman was an unpaid assistant last year and is a former Olympian golfer. He is a 2005 graduate of Jim Thorpe.SECOND-YEAR LEADERS …Carter Wolfe and Mason Farrnel are the pair of sophomores who will be the one-two punch for the Olympians. Danny Eggert will be slotted at No. 3."Carter has been playing golf pretty much his whole life, so he is accustomed to the game," said Chapman. "He is a student of the game and loves learning. He has the drive and determination to be the best that he can be. Mason and Danny are coming along. Danny just kind of picked up golf, and both have showed signs of potential. They are definitely going to contribute at the varsity level."CONSTANT CONTRIBUTOR …John Fedora, the Jim Thorpe No. 4 golfer, is the lone senior in the starting group. He has been a fixture in the Olympian program over his entire high school career."He's been with the program all four years. I hope to see him break out this year and put together a couple of nice rounds," Chapman said.FUTURE GOALS ...With the number of underclassmen playing for the Olympians this season, Chapman thinks the future could be bright. "We want to be able to continue to develop these kids and have them learn the game of golf and get better each time we get out there," Chapman said. "These kids are young, so by the time they are juniors and seniors, we want to be able to compete and win some matches and be among the best in the league and district."CHANGE OF SCENERY …The Olympians will call Split Rock their home course for the 2016 season."It has 27 holes; we're playing the old course, which has nine holes," explained the Jim Thorpe coach. "It's where I played when I graduated in 2005. It's a great course for high school kids and it has a good practice facility. It's a nice forgiving course, it's not too long but it's kind of tight, so you have to be straight off the tee."NORTHWESTERNLOST LEADERS …Bradley Rex and Brandon Segan were both senior captains that graduated in 2015. However, the positive impact they left behind is still felt by the rest of the team."They had good leadership skills and we're very competitive within the league," said Northwestern head coach Tim Miller. "Unfortunately, they weren't up to par to go to districts and states. They treated the newer people with no experience with the same respect of someone that has been on the team for years. They tried to pass along their skills and what they learned at the high school setting and they did a great job."TRIO OF JUNIORS …Tyler Wiik, Mason Vogwill, and Brian Garbacik will look to fill the shoes of the graduated seniors. But the season comes and goes quickly and there isn't much time to make adjustments."There are three players that were younger players last year that really played a key role for us," Miller said. "They will have big roles this year. It's a lot of on the job training. I don't have a lot of time to help them with every aspect of the game during the season. I try to let them think a little bit more to what goes into hitting a golf shot. The only way to get better is by playing."SOLE SENIOR.... Julius Mittl is the lone senior and captain of the Tigers.FIRST FEMALE …Also joining Northwestern are a pair of incoming freshmen in Gabbey Smalley and Luke Hallman."I'm also the head golf professional at Old Homestead and I've worked with her (Smalley) when she was younger," explained Miller. "She is the first female that I've had the pleasure of coaching that is qualified and proven enough to play her way on the team with an opportunity to get into matches this year and that is refreshing."HIGH EXPECTATIONS …The Tigers were 7-5 last season and the Northwestern coach believes his team could be right back in the thick of things."I expect that we're going to make a good run at the division title," he said. "I would be very surprise if we weren't very competitive and the kids believe in themselves. I'm excited and the kid are eager to learn, it's a good group."LEHIGHTONGRADUATION …The Lehighton golf team saw seven seniors depart via graduation over the summer. Devin Scott is the 2016 team's lone senior and will be slotted in at No. 4.YOUTHFUL …The Indians' top six players will include Scott and five sophomores. The second-year players include Stephen Heery, Mason Barndt, Sam Maholick, Lukas David, and Josh Gandy."My goal is to have these kids enjoy the game of golf," said Lehighton head coach Trevor Miller. "By the end of the year, we hope that their scores go down. Ultimately, we want them to go out and improve. I think the first thing that you have to do with a group that's so new is to gain their interest and maintain it."My first goal is to make the game fun and not have it be so stressful. I stress to them just have fun and don't worry about a good or bad shot. You're going to be out there for 4 ½ hours, so you might as well enjoy it."WE TALKIN' BOUT PRACTICE …The golf schedule is quick and compact across District 11. The abrupt start with rare breaks in competition leave minimal time to practice during the week."With such limited time, I've gone over more etiquette and how to handle yourself on the course," the Lehighton coach explained. "We've gone through some very basic stuff, because you can't change eight kids' swings in three days of practice. We're taking baby steps, especially around the green."FROM ONE COACH TO ANOTHER …Miller's philosophy of enjoying the game isn't by coincidence, as he noted that he has learned from some former Lehighton golf greats."I was fortunate enough to play for Tom Schaeffer and Dennis Semmel. Both of them were very, very knowledgeable about the game and they also stressed about having a good time. It made our lives a lot easier on the golf course. That's really what I'm trying to portray to these kids. This is a game you're going to play the rest of your lives."AREA OF EMPHASIS …Miller wants his squad to focus on their shots around the pin. "Around the green is the most important thing for younger kids to gain knowledge in the game of golf," he said. "They have to understand the short game before hitting the ball with the driver."WEATHERLYHEY, I KNOW YOU! ...It's head golf coach Brian Kaminski's first season on the links, but he coached Weatherly's baseball team for a number of years."I resigned as the baseball coach because I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing my daughter's softball season in the spring," explained Kaminski. "I had been doing it (coaching baseball) since she was born. But then the golf job came up. I like golf, I know the kids and I was hoping to get the job."THREE'S COMPANY …Kaminski has three returning golfers that have some varsity experience. Expect to see AJ Knepper (Jr.), Devin Berger (Sr.), and Marty Cithowic (Sr.) toward the top of his lineup."We didn't have any real dominating golfer coming back," said the Weatherly coach. "We knew we would have some kids that have a possibility of maybe breaking 100 and giving us some scores to work with. I wanted to get my numbers up for the program and get guys out. Last year, they only took four kids to some of the matches. We were 0-10 last year, so my goal is to at least get on the board this year."NEWCOMERS …Chris Martens (Sr.) will be Kaminski's No. 4 and sophomores Kyle Osifat and Jared Zaremba will be in the mix. Freshman Ashton Gerhard is a name to look out for."He strikes the ball really nice, even though he's very young," said Kaminski of Gerhard. "He knows what clubs to use around the green. I think he will learn to make some adjustments off the tee, and it's nice that he is willing to learn and he has very supportive parents and he's a very sociable kid."HARD WORK PAYS OFF …Kaminski wants his team to have fun and become students of the game."The kids are working hard and a number of them are just learning the game. They're out, having fun and participating. It's rough to play two very good teams right off the bat. We have teams coming up that I think we can competitive with."TOUGH START …Weatherly had back-to-back contests with Marian and Pine Grove to start the season, two schools that are highly competitive in the league. Weatherly will play five matches before its first day of school."We need to learn on the fly and do the best that we can each day," Kaminski said.MARIANJACK OF ALL TRADES ...Timmy Dando is Marian's No. 5 golfer this season. During the winter, he placed second in the 200 freestyle and third in the 500 freestyle at the District 11 swim meet.His performance earned him a spot at state competition.KEEP ON ROLLIN' ...Marian returns its No. 1 golfer, Albert McFadden. He finished fourth in the Schuylkill League meet last year. McFadden has picked up right where he left off, shooting a 77 during the Colts' victory against North Schuylkill last week."Albert has been a solid contributor for us the last couple of seasons," said Len Brylewski. "But we have a number of very good golfers. I like our entire group. They work together as a team and they're really good kids."REST OF THE CAST ...Rounding out the rest of Marian's contributing core of golfers is Nick Kurzinsky, Mike Latoff, Jarod Paisley, and Jacob Artz.EARLY SEASON CLASH ...The Marian coach mentioned that Pine Grove would be a great competitor in Division 2 this season. Both teams were undefeated entering Monday's contest when Marian topped Pine Grove, 345-400."We're in a division that has a couple of teams that are in the process of rebuilding," Brylewski explained. "There are a few teams that will give us a challenge right off the bat. It's good (to play a lot early) because you don't have to get the kids out of school."