POLAND SPRING – Three 38s and three 41s.

Tell a high school golf coach that their top six golfers would turn scores in like that, especially at Poland Spring Country Club, and a smile would develop from ear to ear.

Last week, Dan Novak developed that smile when his six varsity golfers tied the team record for low medal at Poland Spring with a 196 (the other 41 was thrown out as the “high” score).

“This team, they always do something that amazes me,” said Novak, who though technically a first-year coach, has been with the team for three years. “This group is just special.”

Special might scratch the surface. Since their second-to-last match in 2002, the Knights have not lost a regular season match.

Nineteen wins, zero losses.

It’s been a while, for sure,” said junior Halsey Copp. “This group, we all have a good time and it shows out there on the course.”

Long roots

For a team from a regional high school with students from various towns, the Poland team is surprisingly cohesive. This year’s junior class – Copp, Keegan Fennessy, Dylan Michaud and Jason Lehr – has been playing together for more than four years, starting way back in seventh grade.

“All growing up, we just played together,” said Fennessy. “We play so well together now because there are no conflicts on the team. We all know each other so well.”

From there, the team derives its strength from a work ethic that was also developed as the golfers grew up.

“We all played so much,” said Copp. “As freshmen, we all decided we wanted to play for the school and help make this team a solid team. We joined as freshmen, and here we are.”

Practice, practice, practice

“I never have a hard time getting these kids to stay on the putting green,” said Novak. “They are always asking me what to do next, what practice is going to be the next day. I think they would live out here if given the opportunity.”

With one of the more difficult courses in their conference, Poland has the distinct advantage of playing and practicing at Poland Spring, but five of the team’s 10 matches are played elsewhere, which means the more practice the better.

“I was talking to another coach the other day and even he was commenting on how eager they seemed to be to continue playing after the match was over,” said Novak. “That’s a big edge that we have.”

What’s next

With all the regular season success the team has enjoyed, one area where it has come up empty is in qualifying for the state tournament. Last year, the team missed by two shots at the qualifier at Willowdale, and Copp missed out for the second straight year by one shot.

“That’s the next level,” said Copp. “That’s where we all want to get, as individuals and as a team. We feel like we have something to prove after kind of falling off last year.”

As far as the rest of this season goes, even the players realize that even though they are on top, there is room for improvement.

“Every golfer here is capable of breaking 40 on any given day,” said Fennessy. “We never really have had a day where everyone has played their best. The one’s and two’s will play well and the three’s and four’s won’t, or the other way around. I can’t wait until the whole team does that.”

The rest of the conference probably can, though.