Submitted photo The Warren JFK golf team features four freshmen, but the young Eagles squad qualified for the state tournament.

WARREN — Entering this season, there were plenty of questions surrounding Kennedy’s golf team. With four freshmen in the top 5, it was easy to wonder in what direction the season was going to go.

Now with just 12 teams remaining statewide and the young Eagles still standing, Kennedy is gearing up for a run toward the state crown at this year’s Division III State Tournament.

“Going in with a lot of freshmen and everything, you never know what you’re going to get,” Kennedy coach James LaPolla said. “I wanted them to do well, but you never know. They’re freshmen who have never played out there. From the get-go when they started out in tournaments, going out and playing phenomenally, the Kennedy Invitational we hosted we ended up winning by like 13 shots because of how everybody went out, had fun and did it.

“It was such a surprise how much of a powerhouse we were as such a young team.”

Bryce Vanhorn, the lone junior on the squad, is the team’s leader and top-slot golfer. He shot an 84 in the Division III Boys District match at the Tannenhauf Golf Club in Alliance.

The freshmen, Andrew LaPolla, Henry Phillips, Andrew Fredenburg and Julian Bolino, round out the roster, but that’s not a knock on their ability. The four freshmen do more than carry their weight on the squad.

Over the summer, they golfed. A lot.

The Kennedy boys were at the Trumbull Country Club multiple times a week getting shots in as much as possible. Combine the summer full of practice and a very strong team chemistry and the Eagles making this far makes sense.

“I try to take them out as much as possible and play as many holes because, you know, it’s a good experience. I always try to simulate, you know, tournament-like conditions and that maybe not always happens, but they were at the beginning. They were really, really eager and they … honestly were excited about going out and playing.”

While not looking ahead, it’s hard for LaPolla to not have the thought of running things back next year cross his mind. With everyone returning next season, it’s an exciting prospect for sure.

“Bryce is always keeping up with his game. As one of those seniors on the team, I think he’ll be one of the people to watch out for,” LaPolla said. “When he’s on, he’s on. He’s a striker with the golf ball. Like I said, with those four freshmen, just watching them grow from then to now, it’s going to be exciting. We take it one day at a time, one season at a time, but if this stays like this, we like where we stand.”

But that’s down the road. Friday at 9 a.m. on the 10th tee of the NorthStar Golf Course in Sunbury, Kennedy kicks off its quest to battle for a state crown.

As they enter the tournament, the Kennedy coach has a goal set in mind. Placing isn’t as big of an issue as reaching a target score each day. That being said, LaPolla is doing everything to keep his kids mentally prepared.

“I want to keep them a little bit humble, and I also try to keep them reeled in, in the sense that you don’t put yourself in the mindset that the course is already hard before you even get on the golf course,” LaPolla said. “Don’t be intimidated by the distance. You’ve got to be positive going in. Realistically, I said I don’t care who does it, how it gets done, but I’d be ecstatic if we could break 325 two days in a row.

“I don’t even care if we come in fifth place. If we shot around 640 I’d be ecstatic because you never know, in a year’s time, that might be 620 with more practice and everything. That’s what I tried to keep telling them. Just play your possible best and let’s try to hit that 320 mark.

Mooney is the only other local team who qualified for state, also qualifying in Division III. They tee off at 9:50 on the same tee.