This week’s notebook features the Hatboro-Horsham girls’ team and also highlights SOL alum Jalen Griffin.
By Ben Reese
They're not actually a part of the Suburban One League.
Their school is but the Hatboro-Horsham girls golf team isn't. It is a member of the Pioneer Athletic Conference, better known as the PAC-10.
However, they are still students in a SOL-member school and, as such, deserve credit for their outstanding season and achieving a spot in the PIAA Championship team competition.
"It's been an unbelievable season," Hatter coach Glenn Kaiser said. "We hit all our team goals.
"Everything that I visualized and dreamed about has played out. We're in a position this year where we can get to states."
Which they did.
As the No. 2 team in District One, the Hatters received an invitation to participate when one of the other districts in Pennsylvania did not have a AAA girls team qualify.
Four years ago, the girls golf team at Hatboro-Horsham was fading. The prospects for fielding a team was slowly dying.
So Kaiser got things moving by going to the athletic director and the school board. Things began to grow from there.
"Our school board was 100 percent behind this," Kaiser said. "They gave it a paid position with a coach.
"They were committed to local golf courses. We have support from Talamore and Old York Road Country Club."
And from that support has grown a team that has a shot at winning a state title.
"Four years ago, we put this team together with the idea that in four or five years (we could) win a state title," Kaiser explained. "We got into the league (the PAC-10); we won the league.
"We went 13-1. We had two losses, one to the Mount (Mt. St. Joseph), the defending state champion, and we lost to Great Valley, the defending champion in the PAC-10.
"Individually, our two studs, our No. 1 and No. 2, are interchangeable. Cassidy Gavaghan and Hannah Fireman have just been lights out."
Gavaghan, who is only a sophomore, realizes the importance of her team.
"I think it was really important (to have a girls team) because I think that the girls golf program was starting to fail and everyone thought there was never going to be another girls team," she said. "All of sudden, a good amount of girl golfers started coming into Hatboro-Horsham and that brought up the golf program."
Gavaghan will get a shot at the state tournament despite falling one shot short of qualifying for the Eastern Regional at the District One tourney last week. She will be joined at states by teammates Fireman, Cameron Fisher, Katie Hartmaeir, Julia Lyon and Natalie Jadwin.
This will not be the first SOL-related girls team to compete at states. In 2010, the Central Bucks East girls won the PIAA title, beating Scranton Prep by more than 50 strokes.
Did having a girls team take anything away from the boys team? Kaiser and Gavaghan are at opposite sides of that question.
"The days of Dana Burleigh (a former standout golfer for the Hatters) are over although you see it with Bryn Walker (Radnor) and Jackie Rogowicz (Pennsbury), some of these top players," Kaiser said. "I think girls golf has taken on its own entity with the PIAA.
"I wish some other schools would do that, generate some interest to put together four girls (into a team). I'm surprised in the Suburban One that we don't have more girls golf teams.
"It does take away from teams that traditionally aren't strong. I don't think it took away at all from our program."
Gavaghan is on the other side of that.
"I think it did take away a little bit because we, Hannah (Fireman), the other strong person on my team, and me would have played the ladies tees," she said, "and I think we could have scored well and really helped out the boys team this year.
"I'm not trying to brag. I just think that statistically it would have worked."
Kaiser still has his eye on the future, however. He has a goal that is possible this year but may be more probable next year.
"We might be the favorites next year to win a state title," he said. "That's the goal. It's possible.
"Next year, Mount isn't going to be as strong without Isabella (DiLisio, the 2013 PIAA champion), without some of their other players. They're probably going to be a team we can run with."
Gavaghan is right in step with her coach.
"I would agree with that," she said. "We just have to get our three and four spots a little stronger and they've already improved miles so I think it's highly possible."
So what does the future hold for the Hatters and girls golf?
"The future looks good," said Kaiser. "We have some young girls coming up next year.
"The future is promising. Next year is going to be the one for us.
"It's the one we circled four years ago. This is the team that can do it."
And fulfill a five-year dream.
A tip of the bucket hat: Former Wissahickon star Jalen Griffin has taken his golf bag and clubs to the University of San Francisco. And he is showing the people out West just what kind of golf is played here in the East.
At the recent Cowboy Southern Dunes Invitational, Griffin shot a 69 in the final round to finish ninth. San Francisco took second in the tournament held at the Ak-Shin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, AZ.
Griffin finished the tourney with a 217 total, 1-over par. He had five birdies in the final round and played the back nine in 3-under.
Coming up: Tuesday, Oct. 14, is the day that Golden Oaks in Fleetwood will host the Eastern Regional tournament. District One is sending 16 boys and eight girls.
The Suburban One League contingent includes district girls AAA champion Jackie Rogowicz of Pennsbury, district boys AAA runner-up Jack Melville of Upper Dublin and district AA boys runner-up Chris Binet of Springfield.
Also playing in the regionals will be Council Rock North's Logan Fuglestad, Michael Reed-Price of Upper Dublin, Council Rock South's Lukas Clark, Pennsbury's Vinay Ramesh, Tommy Lewis of Central Bucks East, and Council Rock North's Madelein Herr.
The following week, the PIAA Championships will be held at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York. The individual tournament will begin on Monday, Oct. 20, and finish on Tuesday, Oct. 21. The team title will be decided on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
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