Schools

Calhoun golf squad is first in academics

Team earns New York's highest grade average

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Thomas Macaluso, a senior on the Calhoun High School boys’ golf team, will attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., in the fall to study nuclear engineering. In addition to the relaxation that golf provided during his years at Calhoun, he said, the sport gave him the chance to hone the lessons on force, range and wind resistance that he learned in Advanced Placement physics class.

“There’s a lot of physics involved” in golf, Macaluso said. “There’s a lot of angles involved.”

Five juniors on the golf squad — Matthew Torretta, Tyler Schafer, Daniel Krohn, Joseph Grice and Kenneth Petter — agreed that their favorite subject in school is A.P. chemistry.
Really, A.P. chemistry.

They credit their teacher, Richard Ludwig, for their love of the class. “He just makes class entertaining,” said Torretta. All five noted, though, that they just love science and math, regardless of their teacher.

That goes a long way toward explaining how and why the team had the highest grade average of any high school golf team in the state — 96.41, according to the New York State Public School Athletic Association. The organization tracks squads’ averages to recognize State Scholar-Athlete teams, which achieve an average of 90 or better in a season. High schools apply for the honor.

Jim Cantley, the Calhoun boys’ golf coach, said he cannot stop raving about his team, not only for their second-place conference finish this spring, but also for their outstanding academic achievements. If he’s walking the hall and spots a squad member in class, he’ll stop in to tout the team’s scholar-athlete recognition.

“I just walk right into their classes and announce it,” Cantley said. “I just like talking about it. They work very hard, and they deserve the recognition.”

“I’m just so proud of them for being academically focused,” added Calhoun Principal Nicole Hollings.

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