Make it three straight wins for the Manchester Essex golf team.
The Hornets’ latest triumph — a narrow 38-34 match play decision against a strong Gloucester team playing on its home course Wednesday afternoon — may be their most impressive yet.
Competing in cold, windy conditions, Manchester’s top linksmen played steady golf to edge out their nearby, non-conference rivals and climb back to the .500 mark at 4-4 on the season.
“I have to give credit to Gloucester first; they have a really good team with some top golfers. (GHS captains) Will Linn and Will Johnson are real quality golfers,” said Manchester Essex head coach Bill Melvin. “Considering the conditions there were some really impressive scores today. I’m very happy and impressed with the way we have played this year and worked our way back to 4-4 after a 1-4 start.”
Gloucester stayed in it with a pair of 40s from Linn and Johnson, but neither of those two were able to win their individual matches. Johnson got the tie, while Mason Gossum (42) and Brady Ciaramitaro (45) had the Fishermen’s lone wins of the day.
In addition, Bradley Bjorgan halved his match for GHS with a 44.
“We were winning until the last two groups came in, but credit to Manchester,” said GHS coach David Quinn. “It was a good match all around, and some decent scores with everybody considering the conditions.”
Manchester, meanwhile, has simply found its groove.
The Hornets opened the 2026 fall campaign with a 147-126 (quota points) loss at Rockport; they then bounced back with a 118-113 win over Georgetown at Black Swan Country Club, but dropped their next three matches (to Hamilton-Wenham, Amesbury and Ipswich) before getting back on track over the past week.
The current three-match winning streak began with a season-best performance against Pentucket at Essex County Club, where the Hornets piled up 145 points. They then topped Salem on Tuesday of this week and rode that momentum into the gritty win against the Fishermen at the ever challenging Bass Rocks — which was playing even more difficult than usual due to steady winds off the shore.
Junior Damian Etna — who has regularly led the charge this season alongside senior captain Graham Lewis — fired a team-best 39 to win his individual match and put Manchester in the driver’s seat.
“(Etna) and Graham have w led the team far and away and done a great job. Both of them are really consistent; they have the right demeanor for golf and don’t get too high or too low,” said Melvin. “They’ve just done a terrific job for us in some really tight matches and can be counted on to score some big points, so we’re very thankful to have them this year.”
Senior Alex Haley and freshman Reid Mulford also won their matches on Wednesday, both scoring in the mid-40s to help put Manchester over the top.
While they may not have come out on top in a rare match play event against GHS, fellow senior captain Charlie Mannal, sophomore Calvin Lee and senior Jacob Zachareas have also been outstanding contributors this season. Junior Tucker Gibbs has chipped in with some solid rounds, too, while the aforementioned Lewis has been uber-consistent near the top of the lineup.
With a senior-laden squad last season, Manchester made a run to the Division 3 state championship match, ultimately finishing fifth overall as a team. This year, they’re relying on a younger group overall, but their senior captains Lewis and Mannal have helped turn a rebuilding season into a tournament-hopeful one.
“Our captains have done a great job leading a really young, inexperienced team and they deserve a ton of credit for the work they’ve put in,” said Melvin. “If we can win another four or five matches then maybe we can qualify for the state tournament. We have some tough matches coming up against Newburyport and Lynnfield, and play Hamilton-Wenham and Ipswich again, too.”
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.