The championship made Molnar a three-year winner.

The Frist Flight Championship was won by Fred Mekdeci and the runner-up was Tom Matan. A lunch at Jesse Camille’s concluded the event and Tournament Director Geo Russo thanked the Naugatuck Savings Bank for making the tournament a success.

Jesse Cyr won the Championship Flight. Mike Fleck was the runner-up.

Rich Brenia won the First Flight. Paul Rokas was the runner-up.

Dave Pires won the Second Flight. Mike Erickson was the runner-up.

Matt McClain won the Third Flight. Tom Gaffney was the runner-up.

All of the matches were close and decided on the 18th hole, with one match needing 20 holes to complete.

Tournament Director Dan Warner thanked Naugatuck Savings Bank and Naugatuck Valley Savings and Loan for their support of the championship.

The lessons are available for junior players, ages 7 to 12, and adults. Lessons will be held on Wednesdays beginning Sept. 14 and run to Oct. 6. The fee is $50 for juniors and $60 for adults. All classes are weather permitting and rain outs will be rescheduled.

To register call the Public Works Department at (203) 720-7071.

Ryan Warner, 13, of Beacon Falls won the Frank Kringle PGA Junior Championship in the 9 Hole Division held in Westfield, Mass. recently. Ryan shot a one over par 37 to earn his first championship win. CONTRIBUTED

“I have been working on my putting and chip shots,” Warner said. “Each tournament I have been able to knock a few more strokes off my game. At the last tournament the field was pretty competitive. But, I finished up strong and it certainly was a great feeling to win the championship.”

Ryan was in a battle with Jonathan Farrell of Feeding Hills, Mass. for the title. Farrell jumped out to an early lead after shooting a birdie on the first hole of the match.

Warner came storming back with some solid play down the back stretch. Ryan hit a birdie on the 15th hole and then went on to par the final three holes to win the championship in a match of cards with Farrell.

Warner, 13, is the son of Bob and Melissa Warner of Beacon Falls and was playing in his eighth tournament of the season.

On June 27, Ryan played in his first tournament of the season at the Ellington Ridge Memorial. Warner posted a score of a 12 shots over par but continually brought his scores down over the following seven tournaments.

Ryan began taking up golf seriously last year and takes lessons at Stony Hill in Bethel. His love for the game comes from his dad, and the father and son duo have formed a close bonding experience through the game of golf.

“My dad has really helped me to improve my game tremendously,” Ryan said. “Usually when I play against him I’m only a stroke or two behind him.”

In the fall, Ryan will look to continue improving on the links as a Hawk.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to learn the game. Next year, when I go to Woodland High School, I will be ready to go out for the golf team,” he said.

Although college is still a few years away, Ryan can see himself on the links at the collegiate level. However, the young golfer has his priorities in order.

“I would like to go on and play in college,” Ryan said. “But the main thing is to get a good education and enjoy the game of golf in the process.”

The tournament will be held at the Highland Greens in Prospect. The tournament begins at 11 a.m. with a shotgun start. There will be food and refreshments.

Space is limited. Registration fee is $45. To register or for more information contact Tracy Caswell via e-mail at woodland_touchdown@yahoo.com.

The tournament begins at 8 a.m. The cost is $140 per person or $130 if paid in advance. The price includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the Hills Restaurant, cart, gift, prizes, $100,000 shootout, $10,000 hole in one, raffle and more.

Space is limited. For more information or to register call Paul Bozzuto at (203) 314-0055 or Mike Chatfield at (203) 808-2021.

Naugatuck took home sixth place under head coach Craig Blanchard at the NVL championships held at Crestbrook Country Club in Watertown. The Hawks finished right behind the Greyhounds at seventh place.

“We had a good season,” Blanchard said. “We had four seniors leading the way in captains Tim Fleck and Mike Leona along with Aaron Johnson and Collin Waldron. We did defeat Watertown during the regular season by six shots and had awesome rounds from Johnson with a 41 and Nick Tribanas who got his first medalist honors shooting a 40.”

Wolcott took the top honors at the championships with a team score of 323. Watertown and Holy Cross finished tied for second shooting a 333. Naugatuck shot a 382, as Woodland posted a 384.

Johnson led the way for Naugatuck with a 94, followed by Tribanas with a 95, Fleck at 96, Leona at 97 and Waldron with a 108.

“We played Wolcott during the regular season and lost by eight strokes,” Blanchard said. “Even in the loss Fleck was outstanding shooting a 38 to keep us in the match. Tim closed out the regular season shooting a par 36 against Crosby and won all division (Copper) honors in the NVL.”

The Hawks under head coach Ross Cooper fell two shoots off the pace of the Greyhounds in the NVL championships. Anthony Memoli led the Hawks with an 85 at the championships, just missing out on top ten honors.

Falling in behind Memoli for Woodland was Mike Segala with a 92, Pat O’Dell with a 98, Andrew O’Dell with a 109 and Matt Greggis with a 115.

With this season in the books, Blanchard took a moment to look ahead to next year.

“We will have a solid group back next year led by captains Tribanas and Matt Schumacher, along with Ty Sounanthanum, Brendon Waldron, Jordan Bronko and Dan Capone.” Blanchard said. “I think next year will definitely be a challenge for us. We have some critical matches against Wolcott, Watertown and St. Paul and they will all be at their place so we will have our work cut out for us.”

The Naugatuck golf team is 7-4 nearing the end of the Naugatuck Valley League regular season, and head coach Craig Blanchard is happy with his guys.

“The guys have played well recently,” Blanchard said. “I’ve been pleased.”

On Monday, the ‘Hounds squared off with Woodland in a non-league exhibition match that Naugatuck won, 174-197, in poor conditions.

Naugy was led by Tim Fleck, who shot a 40 to earn the medal. Nick Tribanas followed with a 42 while Aaron Johnson shot a 45.

“The guys played OK,” Blanchard said. “It was typical of the weather that we had.”

For Woodland, Anthony Memoli shot a 43 while Mike Segala turned in a 44, Pat O’Dell carded a 45, and Steve Symolon shot a 65.

Blanchard praised Memoli, who has been Woodland’s leader throughout the season.

“Anthony’s a good golfer,” Blanchard said. “I was happy to win, but I was happy to see another golfer do well.”

On Tuesday, Naugatuck put up a strong fight against undefeated Wolcott, but lost, 168-176. Fleck shot a season-best 38 at Hop Brook while Tribanas and Johnson each carded a 45. Mike Leona and Colin Waldron turned in a pair of 48s.

“We were close,” Blanchard said. “That’s a closer match than I anticipated. Wolcott found Hop Brook a little tougher than they’re used to.”

Though Naugy is 3-3 in its last six matches, Blanchard has been encouraged by the quality of golf his team has played, especially after a win over Watertown on May 5.

“Overall I’ve gotta be happy with the season,” Blanchard said. “They defeated Sacred Heart and Watertown, which was a big match for the team.”

Woodland, meanwhile, fell to 5-10 on the season with losses to Northwestern and Thomaston/Wamogo on Tuesday. The Hawks shot a 212 compared to Northwestern’s 168 and Thomaston/Wamogo’s 170. Memoli led the team with a 40 while Pat O’Dell carded a 48, Matt Greggis shot a 60, and Andrew O’Dell turned in a 64.

Woodland hosted Wolcott today and will competein the Chappa Tournament on Thursday. Naugy hosted Crosby today on will play in the Chappa Tournament as well.

The NVL championships are scheduled for June 2 at the Watertown Country Club. Blanchard thinks Holy Cross and Watertown may have a bit of a home-course advantage heading into the tournament but thinks the Greyhounds have a chance to make their presence felt.

“Holy Cross has a couple of guys who play out of that club, so I think they have a little advantage,” Blanchard said. “If we play well and a couple of guys shoot well, we have a chance to squeeze into fourth or third place. You never know.”

Key matches loom for the Greyhounds, who will host St. Paul and Watertown this week with a chance to put themselves in the thick of the Naugatuck Valley League title race.

“The big test is going to be this week,” Naugy head coach Craig Blanchard said. “If we can beat [St. Paul and Watertown] the match against Holy Cross will be a big match.”

Blanchard was referring to a home match at Hop Brook against the Crusaders on May 10. Before then, the Greyhounds were slated to play three league matches—St. Paul on Wednesday, Watertown on Thursday and at Wilby on Monday.

In the first meeting between the Crusaders and Greyhounds on Tuesday, Holy Cross beat Naugatuck, 158-178, at Western Hills. Mike Leona led the team with a 43, while Tim Fleck, Nick Tribanas, and Aaron Johnson each shot a 45.

So far, the Greyhounds (3-3) have received solid play from numerous players. Fleck, the team’s top returning senior entering the season, has posted four rounds in the 40s, including a medalist performance against Kennedy on April 13 at Western Hills.

Leona, another important senior, has been impressive lately. Leona shot a team-best 41 at Torrington on April 18, then followed up with the squad’s top round—a 45—against Woodland a week later.

The ‘Hounds have also received some timely play from Tribanas, a newcomer who posted three straight rounds in the 40s. Tribanas has stepped up while others have been out of the lineup.

Tribanas’ future appears bright.

“Nick is going to be a good player for Naugatuck,” Blanchard said.

Also in the mix for Naugatuck are two seniors, Johnson and Colin Waldron. Both can shoot in the 40s and will be called upon to contribute as Naugatuck as the NVL season progresses.

This week, Blanchard said he expects to have a “home-field” advantage in the team’s home matches.

“Both St. Paul and Watertown play on more open courses,” Blanchard said. “You can get in trouble off the tee easily at Hop Brook.”

While any home-course edge may give Naugatuck a five- or six-shot cushion, it will still come down to executing for the Greyhounds.

To keep the level of competitiveness up for the 15-member Greyhounds team, Blanchard has been holding weekly qualifying matches within the team. The concept is simple: If a player wants to be a part of the varsity matches, he has to score well in practice and be on the top of his game.

More importantly, if a player didn’t qualify one week, he can qualify the next. There’s a constant opportunity for players.

“If you work on your game and practice,” Blanchard said, “you might make it the next week.

One thing is clear: The coming week will be less about practice and more about performing in match play. After this week, we’ll know what kind of team we have.”

“We’re improving,” Cooper said on Monday evening following a loss to Holy Cross at Western Hills.

Despite the 163-183 loss to the Crusaders, three of Woodland’s top four golfers shot a 46 or lower. Senior Anthony Memoli shot a team-best 42 on the par-36, nine-hole stretch on the Waterbury course.

Memoli, who plans to play golf at Post University next year, has been the Hawks’ best player in the first four matches. He shot a 43 and was the medalist in Woodland’s match against Naugatuck on April 21 at Oxford Greens.

“Anthony has been the best player I’ve had as a head coach,” said Cooper, now in his fourth season at the helm for Woodland. “He’s capable of shooting in the 30s.”

In his other two matches, Memoli shot a 40 against Torrington at Oxford Greens and 41 against St. Paul at Chipanee. Cooper said he has been working closely with Memoli on his drives.

“Anthony can hit the ball a ton and he’s pretty good around the green,” Cooper said. “He’s also a real student of the game and is easy to coach.”

On Monday, Mike Segala, an upstart junior, shot a 45 and senior Nick Veneri posted a 46 for the Hawks, who have also faced Sacred Heart, Naugatuck and St. Paul thus far. Cooper spoke highly of Segala and Veneri.

“Mike has been consistently good,” Cooper said. Segala carded his best round of the season to date on Monday.

Veneri has been in the 40s in three of his first four rounds and has been Woodland’s second-leading scorer twice. Segala has posted the Hawks’ second-best score in the team’s other two matches.

“These guys really haven’t hit their strides yet,” Cooper said.

Senior Kyle Mascoli (50) and junior Pat O’Dell (54) also participated for the Hawks on Monday.

Mascoli was described by Cooper as being an important member of the team. His leadership is constantly on display during practice and on match days, Cooper said.

O’Dell continues to work on his game and could become more of a factor down the stretch.

“I have faith Pat’s game will improve with practice,” Cooper said.

And that’s the theme of the first part of the season—getting better. Cooper said the goals are clear: Get the team’s scoring average below 180 per match, qualify for state tournament play and finish at or better than .500.

“We’re getting close, and we should hold our heads high, win or lose,” Cooper said.

On Tuesday, Woodland lost to perennial power Torrington, 165-205. Memoli led the team with a 40, while Mascoli carded a 52 and the O’Dell brothers, Pat and Andrew, turned in a pair of 56s.

Woodland was set to host Northwestern on Wednesday at Oxford Greens before playing at Shepaug Valley on Thursday and at Watertown on Tuesday.