4-02-2023 5:08pm

BRIDGEWATER-RARITAN HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' GOLF TEAM TEES OFF WITH TWO VICTORIES TO START SEASON.

Donnella Tilery Editor

Every stroke matters. That certainly was crucial for the Bridgewater-Raritan High School boys’ golf team that has opened the 2023 season with two victories in two matches.The second triumph of the spring occurred on Thursday, March 30, when Bridgewater-Raritan edged host Hillsborough High School, 167-169, at the Royce Brook Golf Club in Hillsborough. That match was two days after Bridgewater-Raritan launched its golf season with a 169-170 victory over Ridge High School at the Basking Ridge Country Club.The matches—according to NJSIAA rules– -consist of nine holes and each team is represented by six golfers, who factor in each team’s four best scores.Against Hillsborough, junior Andrew Garcia shot a two-over-par 38 to lead all golfers. Panther teammates, seniors Jacob DeJesus and Aiden Torres, finished with scores of 40 and 44, respectively, while sophomore Anish Parikh posted a 43 to round out Bridgewater-Raritan's victorious outing. For Hillsborough, Alex Marchetti led the Raiders with a 39.DeJesus posted a three-over score of 39 to lead Bridgewater-Raritan to its victory over Ridge. Also contributing to that victory were Garcia, who shot a 41, senior Zach Shaw, who finished with a 44, and Parikh, who posted a 45.The Panthers already have had two matches decided by two strokes or fewer in 2023 after having three matches decided by a similar margin throughout the entire 2022 season. Next up for Bridgewater-Raritan is four straight matches at its home course—Raritan Valley Country Club, Bridgewater—all against Skyland Conference Delaware Division teams.All of these matches will tee off at 3 p.m., starting with the home opener against Montgomery High School on Tuesday April 4 and then a match against The Pingry School on Wednesday April 5.