By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer

Mike Roman took control of the Ashland golf team in 2008 and although they have had some decent teams, he can’t quite remember the last time the team was playing this well. 

At the time of this writing, the Clocker golfers were swinging their clubs to the tune of a 10-3-1 record.

“This is the best record the program has seen in a long time, probably at least 10 years,” the Ashland Coach said. “This year’s seniors were the freshman that came in four years ago and this is the first time that I can remember a group of golfers that has made it to the tournament all four years.”

Coming into the season, Roman’s goals and expectations were what they have always been: qualify for the District Tournament and winning as many matches as they can along the way. Throughout the first half of the season one match that has stood head and shoulders above all the other wins has been the match they tied with Westwood.

“This was the first time since I’ve been coach here at Ashland that we didn’t lose to Westwood, it was a huge victory for us,” Roman said. “We also had a close match with Medfield, losing by only three strokes, we are starting to compete with the better teams in the State. Playing in the Tri-Valley League (TVL) we go up against State Champions from all divisions.”

As they have in the past, the Joshi twins are continuing to excel on the golf course while contributing to the wins for the Clockers. Kyzar Joshi is not only the top player on the Ashland squad, but he currently is the number one player in the league vs par. The senior is posting a .78 over par while his closest competitor has shot a 1.8 over par. His sister, Keira Joshi is shooting about 5-over par throughout the year and finds herself about 4 strokes behind her brother.

“Both have been working extremely hard and it has rubbed off on the rest of the team, giving us a nice camaraderie on the field,” the Coach said. “It makes a huge difference when you have golfers like the Joshis putting up low scores, it helps to bring the team average down even if someone has a bad day.”

Following the twins on the links, Ashland is lucky to have some very good underclassmen who know how to swing the clubs.

Freshman Rebecca Kriegsman and sophomore Nathan Gerlovin are currently the third and fourth golfers respectively for the Clockers. Kriegsman is a great golfer who knows how to play and approach the game and finds herself in the top 40 of the league. Gerlovin, who was a good player for the team last fall, has been consistently shooting 6 or 7 over par while improving each and every match.

Sitting in the fifth spot is another consistent shooter in junior Dean Reap. According to the coach, he can lock Reap in on a regular basis in the lineup and know that he’s going to get a good and usable score from him. Senior Mark Milko is the team’s sixth golfer, and he too has been posting dependable scores. 

Following the top six, Roman is lucky enough to have a lot of depth that can and will contribute on a regular basis. Seniors Zach Fuelhart, Tim Connors and Jack Reardon are the veteran golfers, while first-year senior Anthony Rodriguez has also been reliable for the Clockers.

This year Ashland has found themselves in a unique situation having some talented underclassmen who have displaced the seniors to the back of the pack.

As the Clockers inch their way toward the Central Districts, Roman knows that once they get there, the squad is going to go up against some pretty strong teams and with only three being able to advance into the State Tournament the outlook is not a clear path for Ashland.

“Only three teams move on from the Central, making it a very difficult task at hand; Concord-Carlisle is always a lock for one spot and Westwood and Medfield can usually be found in the hunt,” the Coach said. “In addition, you’ll always run into a program that you know nothing about because they’re from a different part of the state.”

With the odds not stacked in their favor, the Ashland golfers are going to have to go out and play their best golf that day in the Districts to move on. Realistically, the Clockers will have an individual golfer be able to advance into the State Tournament. Last fall Kyzar Joshi shot a 79 in the districts and was able to move onto the States. He should be able to do so once again especially the way he has been shooting through the first 15 matches.

No matter what happens in the post-season, these Ashland golfers can say they were part of the 2022 team that posted one of the best regular seasons in Ashland golf history.