The Boys Golf team at Bernards High School has the opportunity for an incredible season in 2025 following multiple consecutive years of success. Though it may not be as well known as some of the other spring sports at BHS, the Golf team is arguably one of the most talented teams at the school. Led by one of the top ranked players in the state, Junior Noah Ochab, the team is primed for a record breaking year. Filling out the top five on varsity include Junior Thomas Diemar, Freshman Brady Cassidy and DJ Allen, and Senior Colin Fraunfelder.
Not only does Head Coach Daniel Spautz have a great core at the top of the varsity roster, but a strong group of players in the mix for the final varsity spot allow for quite a bit of maneuverability of the roster. These players include Tanner Pagel, Andrew Tropp, Jack Morris, Terrence Hanratty, Garrett Senior, Val Alstrom, and Nate Hamada. Spautz is especially excited and has enjoyed “coaching this group of dedicated golfers” en route to a historic season thus far.
In High School Golf matches, each school brings their top six varsity players. Out of the six players, the top four scores count for the match, going head to head against the top four of the opposing team. In the event that the overall score is tied, the tiebreaker goes to the player with the fifth least strokes on each team for the tie breaker.
Last year, the team finished with a 9-9 record, averaging 162 strokes per match. Though the record may not show it, the team was one of the best in the section, coming tied for 2nd in the sectional tournament. It is likely to be an even better year for the team this time around.
Last year’s key varsity starters included the now graduated Kreikemeier twins: Hayden and Cutter, Fin Spitaleri, Simon Bramwit, and Charlie Giebel. Despite losing five players with varsity experience, the team has become even better this season.
The team’s improvement is almost entirely due to the addition of Thomas Diemar and the two freshmen DJ Allen and Brady Cassidy. Though in other circumstances it may have been a difficult transition to the high school golf scene, both Allen and Cassidy have translated well so far.
Cassidy described the transition as “seamless” saying that it “felt like [he] fit right in” from the very beginning of the season. As for expectations, the Freshman has high goals expecting the team to “win sectionals, and hopefully states this year.”
The Golf teams season began on April First in a matchup against Phillipsburg at their home course, The Architects Golf Club, in Stewartsville. It was a remarkably close match, coming down to the fifth score after the top four for both teams tied at 158. Junior Thomas Diemar was the low man, shooting a 35 with Noah Ochab finishing just behind with a 36.
The team continued its hot start with a second straight win over Watchung Hills the next day, shooting a remarkable 148 as a team. Ochab followed up his 36 with a two-under 33, and Diemar shot a 36. Rounding out the top four, DJ Allen shot a 38 and Brady Cassidy shot a 41. The team dominated, winning by nine strokes and moving to 2-0 on the season.
The team’s undefeated start came to an end on April third against Montgomery, losing 155-151.
Overall, the season is looking to be a huge success, very much in part to the increased amount of depth that this roster has compared to the past few seasons.
Spautz described the team as “lucky to have depth that we have not had in a few years.” In the past, he explains, the team has “really had six, maybe seven guys to put in the lineup whereas this season we are fortunate to have ten to twelve guys that could contribute on the varsity team”.
Time will tell whether the team continues to break records, but there is no doubt that the golf program is in good shape to contend for titles for years to come.
