Wauwatosa to field Ravenola's youngest golf squad

The Wauwatosa East/West co-op boys golf team will be the youngest team coach John Ravenola has had since becoming head coach six years ago.

Tosa lost two seniors from last year's team, and all but one of the players coming out this year are juniors or younger. There are three returning varsity players, but all of them are underclassmen.

Adam Garski returns for his sophomore season after a great freshman year culminating in a trip to the state tournament.

"Adam will be our 'Eastside Captain,'" Ravenola said. "Will Jushka, a junior, returns after a solid 2015, and he is our 'Westside Captain.'"

The third returnee is sophomore Noah Katula, who has a full year's experience, holding his own at the varsity level as a freshman.

The newest member of the team is freshman Noah Monty.

"He is already a solid player with great potential as he gains more experience," Ravenola said. "The fifth spot at this point is up for grabs."

Juniors Owen Knezel, John Frank, Luke Xiong and senior Jake Schultz are among the players looking to break through.

"On the surface, an outsider may think we are in a rebuilding mode, and while we are very young, this is definitely not a rebuilding year," Ravenola said. "At the risk of being 'battered' by Brewers fans (of which I am one), I feel we are the Chicago Cubs of the high golf teams. We have a tremendous amount of talent just needing a little seasoning to start making an impact.

"We have kids who truly want to put in the time it takes to get better, and that's a coach's dream. They are enthusiastic, get along well with each other and love the game. Is it any wonder that I am excited by our prospects for a very competitive and ultimately successful season. Like the Cubbies, we may not 'win it all,' but we are poised to be in a position where the rest of the GMC will have to start taking us seriously."