Riverhead boys golf finds its new No. 1 as pursuit of seventh straight title continues

With perennial All-County performer Colby Baran now graduated, the Riverhead boys golf team’s No. 1 spot was open for the first time in half a decade. 

The title would be decided the only way head coach Steve Failla knew how.

“Competition,” Failla said. “There are no favorites on the golf team. You play the best, you earn the spot. The numbers are the numbers.”

When the smoke cleared, sophomore Wes Kujawski had emerged as the clear No. 1.

After making varsity in eighth grade, Kujawski was sent down to junior varsity for his freshman season following a preseason competition. He held the No. 1 spot on JV all season, and Failla brought up the team’s top JV golfer to compete for a spot in the playoff top six, as he does each year.

Kujawski earned a starting spot for the playoffs as Riverhead made another postseason run, which ended in the Section XI final four.

“Wherever I was in the summer, whatever golf course I went to, I always saw Wes,” Failla said. “I’ve seen him multiple times at Cherry Creek practicing with his brother, who’s an eighth grader on JV. They’d bring a cooler and be out there for hours. Hard work is paying off for him.”

Kujawski has held onto that spot all year, posting an average nine-hole score of 39. He shot as low as a 37 at The Woods in Riverhead early in the season.

Though the top six has shifted constantly among the 11 varsity golfers, the top four has remained steady: Benicio Micieli-Martinez, Christian Caramore and Kyle Hubbard.

Caramore has averaged 39, with Micieli-Martinez and Hubbard hovering around 40.

“I let them decide their fate on their golf course,” Failla said. “Every week there’s competition. I try to make the practices full of pressure. If the practices are that hard, playing against other teams isn’t so nerve-wracking.”

In the match against Southold/Greenport on Oct. 1, Failla, keeping with his tradition, played all his seniors in the final home match of the season. Riverhead produced a 9-0 sweep, with Jack Bartolo and Landon Zaleski each shooting a season-low 39.

The Blue Waves will continue their competitions as they decide who the top six will be come playoff time.

Riverhead has won six straight league championships and is aiming for a seventh this year with a record of 9-1. The Blue Waves lost their first league match in more than five years to Eastport-South Manor. With the season series split, a win over Mattituck on Wednesday would secure at least a share of the title.

“The level of play in our league has ramped up the last few years,” Failla said. “There are some great golfers in our area. Coaches are doing a great job with their teams. But our standard is to win every match, and we’re going to continue that no matter who the golfers on the team are.”

Riverhead has already secured a spot in the Suffolk County team championships, which begin Oct. 22. Before then, Riverhead golfers will look to qualify for the Suffolk County individual championships.

“It’s not always the best team that wins,” Failla said. “I’ve always said this: It’s about being the best team on that day.”