Carrick gives Howell golf a good chance
Rebels lead A North after CBA win
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
Tim Hogan knew that his Howell High School golf team had the chance to be very good. However, there was one missing link; he needed a fifth scorer.

"We had four solid kids," he pointed out. "My concernwaswhat to do about our fifth."

Help would come from the gridiron in Chance Carrick, the Rebels outstanding wide receiver.

"Chance came up tome in thewinter and said hewanted to play golf," recalledHogan. "I told him if you can make the team as a starter, you can play."

Chance,whose brother, sophomoreCorey Carrick, is the team's top player, took up the challenge. Playing often, thanks to a mild winter, he was ready when tryouts began in March. Hogan not only has his fifth player, but a scorer.

Corey, a sophomore, who plays football like his older brother, has been themost improved player and the team's low scorer.

"Hewas our seventhman last year," said Hogan. "He remade himself over the summer."

Kyle Barrett, a four-year starter for the Rebels, has been teamed with Carrick in dualmeets and it turned into an outstanding partnershipwith each, bringing out the best in each other.

Junior TomMartino, a three-year starter, is playing his best golf right now.

Another three-year starter, Trevor Rockhill, completes the team.

"We go five deep," notedHogan. "We have a solid three-four-five," he added. "Most teams can't go that deep."

The Rebels used the one through five depth to pull out perhaps the biggest dualmeet victory in the program's history, a onestrokewin, 154-155, overChristianBrothers Academy on Thursday at Howell Park, the Rebels'home course. The Coltswere the topranked teamin the Shore andwinners of the recentMonmouth County championship.

Martino carded the low round of day an even-par 36 (his second straight 36 at Howell Park). Corey Carrick shot a 37 and Chance, a 40. With Rockhill shooting a 41, the Rebels had their one-stroke win and maintained their lead in the A North Division.

Howell is locked in a tight race with defending champion Marlboro for the public school title and tiedwith CBAfor the overall lead.Howell is 10-2 overall and 7-2 in the division. Marlboro stands at 8-3 in A North and 9-3 overall.

Marlboro,which handed 8-2CBAits only other division loss and beat Howell the first time around, has a rematchwith both teams on its home course, Battleground Country Club. The Mustangs host CBA on Tuesday and Howell onMay 20.

With four returning starters from last year's Monmouth County champions and A North co-winners, it's no surprise thatMarlboro is again contending for the championship.

Dan Nituitomo has been the steadiest of Marlboro's veteran quartet. Brett and Keith Markowitz andMaxWeiss complete the unit that has keptMarlboro near the top of Shore golf again.

Marc Goldberg and Matt Welch have been splitting time as the team's fifth player.

Heading into this week, there is CBA at 8-2, Howell, 7-2 and Marlboro, 8-3. Colts Neck at 6-4 still has hopes of getting a share of the division crown as it did last year, and Manalapan, at 7-5, is very dangerous because the Bravesmay have the best one-two in Rob Perrone and Pat Dileo.

Marlboro's veteran coach Stan Bryck hasn't witnessed anything like ANorth this spring in hismore than 30 years of coaching.

"I've never seen so many good teams packed in one division," he said. "We're all going to knock the other off."

The season opening Wall Invitational was an early indication of how close the teams are. Colts Neck (342) and Howell (348) were fourth and fifth and Marlboro, seventh (354).

The low scorer on the 6,127-yard par-71 Shark River Golf Course inNeptune was 79 by Nick Polvino of Colts Neck. He was fourth. Teammate Pete Inglese took an 81 to the clubhouse, the same asMarlboro'sNituitomo. There were eighth and ninth.

At the Monmouth County Championships (April 24)Marlboro (317) and Howell (320) finished two-three behind Christian Brothers Academy (320) with Manalapan, fourth (320). Colts Neck was seventh (329). That's five of the top-seven teams in the county from one division.

The Brave's Perrone finished third on a match of cards tiebreaker after carding a 74 on the 6,257-yard Hominy Hill Golf Course. Marlboro's Keith Markowitz was fourth via the tiebreaker. Nitiutomo was sixth with a 75.

Manalapan's Dileo (76) was 11th. Colts Neck's Nick Polvino (79) and Howell's Tom Martino (79) were tied for 16th, and Colts Neck's Andrew Schonholtz (80) and Marlboro'sMaxWeiss (80) tied for 19th.

Schonholtz and Polvinowere the only returning starters for Colts Neck. But, newcomers like Inglese, Tom Paone and Brit Zamoyta have stepped in and kept the team in the ANorth chase (the team is 11-4 overall).

This year's Freehold Regional District Championship is scheduled for May 27 at Eagle Oaks Gold Course in Howell.

Colts Neck leads the girls

at inaugural county tourney

The inaugural Monmouth County Girls Golf Tournament was played on April 30 at Charleston Springs in Millstone. Colts Neck'sDeannaDiChirico had the best finish among the area girls tying for 13th after a 98.

Marlboro's Catherine Kim and Colts Neck's Pauline Spinelli tied for 16th after carding 101. Howell's Meghan Kelly, Colts Neck's Arianna Hatchett and Nicole Danzi and Marlboro's Heather Evankow all finished in a tie for 19th (105).

Rumson-Fair Haven picked up the first team championship with a score of 368. Colts neck was third (405) and Marlboro, fifth (464).

The Cougars,who sport an overall record of 4-5, have been the FreeholdDistrict's best team during the dual-meet season. The Cougars scored their biggest win of the year against Red Bank Catholic, when they sent the Caseys down to their first defeat of the season, 191-192.

DeChirico's 44 was the low round for the Cougars on the par-37 Colts Neck course. Hatchett (46), Spinelli (50) and Danzi (51) made the difference in the victory. Only seven strokes separated their four scorers while the RBC gap was eight.