Orchard Park, NY – The Varsity golf team is looking to rebuild as they will have 6 key seniors who will be graduating in June: Landon Arnold, Tyler Bucchiett, Enzo Clerici, Ethan Ford, Mickey Gocella, and Hudson Lashway.
The Golf team has had incredible success over the past 20 years and have accomplishments that include 14 ECIC Championships and 4 Section Championships in the 6-year history of Section 6 team competition. Under Coach Leary, the team has had many key players who have stepped up every year to continue their path of dominance. These players include 14 golfers who would go on to play at the collegiate level, 7 of whom at D1.
The question now is how the team can continue to be the team to beat in WNY for years to come. Coach Leary has always placed a premium on how players demonstrate themselves during practice and the effort they put forth.
“I am most looking for kids who want to work hard, regardless of their ability level; obviously, we would like skilled players, and we will work with you if you are willing to put in the time and effort,” said Coach Leary, a staple of the team’s long term success.
Junior Caleb Occhino is a very experienced player who has had a lot of success on the team. Occhino is going into his 4th year on the team and will bring the most experience
For those looking for advice on how to best prepare themselves to play Varsity Golf, Occhino and Leary had some advice to offer:
“The thing that helped me improve most as a player was competitive experience. Playing in WNYPGA events are great one-day tournaments that are local and helped me become a better player when I was younger,” offered Occhino.
Leary was just as clear about his desire to acquire kids with competitive experience.
“I would say that the best preparation is tournament situations, not interclub, but going and playing some types of junior events.
Leary would also go on to stress the importance of receiving some type of instruction and swing help.
“There is nothing that can replace working with a good instructor for your golf swing.”
Just hitting balls on the range alone is not enough to prepare, and if possible, playing in competitive tournaments and receiving swing help is a huge differentiator.
Young Talent
Young, talented players are one of the main reasons why the varsity golf team has had such a long run of success. Players like Charlie Fischer, Aiden Shaw, Enzo Clerici, and most recently Michael Jordan all made the team as 7th graders in their first year of eligibility. These players would go on to lead the team to many Championships and accomplish many individual records.
These players gained competitive experience at a young age, which they would carry with them for the rest of their career on the team.
Eighth-grader Micheal Jordan had some advice for any 7th or 8th graders looking to follow in the footsteps of these past players:
“I think that knowing that one bad hole won’t matter if you just stick to how you play, and that if you stay positive, then you can still make the team.”
Jordan continued to stress the importance of staying in the moment and not letting emotions get the best of you, a mistake many young junior golfers fall victim to.
Golf tryouts will be held on August 22, 2025.
