It was an unforgettable 2025 season for the Groton boys golf team. The Red Hawks captured the Section IV Class D championship for the first time since 2001 after beating out Elmira Notre Dame to the title by just one stroke. With most of that history-making team returning, expectations are sky-high this year.
The Red Hawks have picked up where they left off by winning their first four matches of the season. While it’s still early on, head coach Steve Lott has seen encouraging signs that they can replicate what they accomplished last time out.
“I think our real strength and advantage is once again going to be in our depth,” Lott said. “A lot of teams tend to have some strength up at the top. But then there’s a bigger falloff. Because we’ve got this group that’s dedicated, we don’t have falloff. Our third, fourth, fifth, sixth guys are all shooting very well.”
The lone golfer from last year’s starting lineup who graduated is Conor Eldred. At the top of the pecking order, Eldred flourished on the course and became the first Groton golfer in over 20 years to qualify for states. In addition to repeating as sectional champions, the Red Hawks hope to make getting to the state tournament a recurring trend.
One of those hopefuls is Talan O’Connor. The senior also took part at state qualifiers last year but just missed the cut to make states. Now as the top golfer for this year’s squad, O’Connor is chomping at the bit to not only lead the team to more glory but also to get another shot at qualifying for the state team.
“He’s just such an even-keeled kid,” Lott said. “He never gets rattled. He says some things when something has to be said, but most importantly, day in and day out, he’s leading the team by example from just doing the right thing, working hard, keeping his composure when things go wrong on the golf course, etc. He really is a leader through his actions as much as his words. And I think it’s pretty clear to see that the kids look up to him.”
Speaking of leaders, Brett Deuel and Gage Seamans are two other seniors who have also stepped up in that department as well as improving their own craft over the summer.
“They’re doing it the right way to carrying themselves the right way on the golf course with proper etiquette and everything and just showing the younger guys how to do it,” Lott said. I think it’s really great because with having 30-some kids in the program, we got a lot of young kids. I remind those guys every day that if we’re trying to build something here, they can be showing the younger kids what to do, and it starts with those three seniors.”
The two other returning non-seniors in the starting lineup are sophomore Maddux Dyson and junior Marley Antrum. Dyson had a strong ending to last year to finish as the Red Hawks’ third-best golfer and has already carried that momentum over to the first few matches of this campaign, while Antrum is a key depth piece to the equation.
“Even with all this with those seniors, Maddux is our number two right now,” Lott said. “He had a couple things he was working on last year, but you can tell he’s put the work in because it’s showing in the first couple matches where he’s started off as our two-man, and he’s shooting low scores. To get that out of a younger, more inexperienced golfer is huge for our team, as well… Marley’s just got a great composure, great sense of humor. He doesn’t take things too seriously, and that’s why he does so well. He’s just free and easy with a swing.”
The sole newcomer to the Red Hawks’ lineup is Tristin Weeks. The senior comes over from outdoor track and field and has already gelled with the established golfers.
“He’s new to the team, but they’re all friends,” Lott said. “He’s got a lot of maturity too, nice, calm composure. Even though he’s new, he’s been golfing for the last several years. He’s shooting very low scores, too, and just adds another calm senior presence to the team.”
The Red Hawks are no doubt a confident bunch given their championship pedigree. But if they want to build off of last season’s success, a lot will come down to the all-essential mental aspect of the sport.
“We are really talking a lot about our mental approach, and also for them to be picking each other up and acting like a team,” Lott said. “Last year we won by one stroke. That meant every score mattered, and so they needed each other. We’re just trying to keep them tight as a team, keep them thinking about the clean mental approach. If that goes well, hopefully things will fall our way again.”
