When it comes to golf in Nassau County, Port has always been looked at as a powerhouse.  This year is no exception.

The boys varsity golf team finished where it left off last season by improving on its 7-1 record and finishing its undefeated season last week with a win in its eighth matchup.

The Vikings captured their second consecutive conference title this season.

“We knew going into the season we had a good team.  We’re really happy with our results during the regular season,” said sophomore Sean Siegman.

With its impressive regular season run, the team has earned a spot in the county tournament. The Vikings continue to set their goals higher and are expecting to have a deep playoff run this season

This year culminates the long career of senior captains Eric Schissel, Nick D’Alonzo, and Eric Beil.  Having been on the team since each of their freshmen years, the trio has had their eyes on a championship since day one.

All three seniors have been stressing the importance of making this season count while achieving their goals.

“We all want to make this season the most memorable it has every been.  It would be awesome if we accomplish something great during my last season,” said Schissel.

These three senior captains have had the most experience being on the team.  For them, it is all about being calm and collected on the field.

“One of the most important things is to be comfortable when you’re playing.  All of our experience has been helping our team out,” said Beil.

These upperclassmen are not they only ones making an impact on the team.  Junior Theo Nick has risen to be a top player on the squad, and looks to take the high level of leadership established by this year’s senior captains and maintain it next year.  Freshmen Spencer Pere is in his second year on the team.  This season, he has again proved to be one of the best golfers on the team.

Besides the team’s captains, the boys are led by Head Coach Ms. Kathleen Doughty.

Coach Doughty encourages the team to improve on its skills and reminds them to continue setting goals as high as the team believes is possible.

Staying confident during the season is a huge aspect to playing well.

If the team keeps up its confidence and good attitude brought on by its coach, it will continue to play well at Counties this season and likely next season.

Early on there were some difficulties with the weather being unpredictable.  Many of the players said that it was important to get out into the field before the season began; however, the weather prohibited them from doing so.

“Before our first matchup we’ve only had a couple of practices and even during those practices the weather was not the best.  We just had to keep trusting our game and thankfully we started our season out very strong,” said Siegman.

Next year, when the varsity team loses its three senior captains, the remaining players on the team will look to step up.

The team is still confident that it will have an impressive season.  Other key players include Nick, Siegman  and Pere.

Each will look to carry out Port’s dominating golf tradition.

One of the reasons why the team is so successful, aside from its talent, is that it has created a family for itself.

You cannot ignore the togetherness of all the players.  Everyone is always trying to help each other on their game.

“We enjoy playing with each other and we have fun but all of us also never lose focus,” said D’Alonzo.

D’Alonzo, Beil, and Schissel are all very upset to be leaving the team.  They all have had impressive high school careers, winning Port a few conference titles in the process.

“My four years on the team have been the best thing about high school for me,” said Beil. “I’m sad to go, but I’m happy with this team. ”