Ethan Shi ’28
Sep 26, 2025
The Mercersburg golf team was in strong form this past weekend, traveling to Chambersburg Country Club for a matchup against Martinsburg and securing a solid win. The victory highlighted both the team’s growing confidence and the strong sense of unity among players.
Stewart Allen ‘27 said, “We have a really good team dynamic, and we all get along very well. We enjoy playing together, and that makes practices and matches a lot more fun. It’s just a great group to be a part of.” Nicholas Zho ‘29 added, “We have good team chemistry, everybody is happy with each other and having fun. Overall, it’s an enjoyable experience.”
Jackson McLear ‘28 said, “I feel like I had a bit of an advantage. I’ve played on this course a lot, so I know what to do.” Zhou agreed, stating, “We had home course advantage, you know. It felt like home playing on this course, so we can play well.” Allen said, “Everyone loves going out there on Saturdays. Chambersburg is a great course, and everyone just looks forward to it. It is a blessing to play.”
Head coach Doug Smith described the team's efforts as “solid, if not spectacular. I think our team has greater heights that we’re going to reach.
Contributing to the Storm’s win, Allen ‘27 finished his game with a score of 79. He said, “I hit a good iron shot on two, and drained a thirty-footer for birdie, and I just keep that train going.”
However, the game wasn’t without challenges. “I feel like I could’ve done better the first nine holes. I could’ve putted it better,” Zhou said. “I struggled to score well today,” Mclear added, “it was a terrible round for me.”
Allen added, “[Holes] thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen at Chambersburg was the hardest stretch of holes I’ve ever played. You can’t rip a driver, which is instinctively what you want to do. Here, you have to play smart. The guys I was playing with both took a driver, and I took a 220 shot, and it just put me 4 strokes above the field.”
Accompanying the team’s win, some of the Blue Storm’s new players had new takeaways and improvements. Zhou said, “When I first got here, I still wasn’t used to it, but after two weeks I got into the flow and understood the game better.”
Despite the big win, the real challenge is yet to come. Allen said, “[Musselman, McConnellsburg, and Martinsburg] aren’t really our real competition. We have a match this week which is going to be difficult, and we would love to win that.”
With the incoming freshmen and the maturing of the returners, Mercersburg golf is ready to have one of its best seasons. The team has already shown steady improvement, strong chemistry, and a determination to compete at a high level. Looking ahead, they hope to turn their momentum into lasting success throughout the fall.
Coach Smith said, “Golf is a long season, there’s a lot of ups and downs, and these guys have mostly been through it before. I don’t set goals as individual wins or tournaments, but I want the whole team to continuously improve.”