CHELMSFORD — In 12 years of patrolling the links of the Merrimack Valley Conference, Keith Stone had never seen as low a score.
Lucas Jenney, a captain for the Golden Warriors, nearly penned fresh ink in the Chelmsford Country Club record books on the first official day of fall athletics.
Handing in a sizzling 5-under 28, Jenney was just one stroke shy of tying the course record of 27 for a nine-hole round on Monday morning.
And despite magic from one of the best linksmen in the league, the Chelmsford High golf team proved its mettle as a legitimate threat in the MVC 1 with a 14-6 win to open its debut season in the MVC 1 in the win column.
The Lions dazzled a year ago, turning in a 10-2 regular season record en route to the overall team championship at the MVC championship in October for the second time in the last three years.
Edging Andover — Chelmsford’s only home defeat last fall — is a promising start to what bodes to be a tougher schedule in a new division. The Golden Warriors are 16-time MVC victors.
“Andover is a terrific program, and they were our only home loss last year,” Stone said. “So it feels real good.”
Andover took five points in the first group, as James Dunham downed Rob Monahan to accompany Jenney’s dominance.
But the Lions stormed back, earning five points in the ensuing two groups to create a cushion they wouldn’t relinquish.
Jake Damiani-Lessard and Andrew Monahan picked up wins in the second grouping before Ryan Keyo and Aidan Kenney won their respective matches in the next group. Both pairings earned four-ball wins. Chelmsford’s Kyle Plaisted tied Andover’s Rob Linehan in the final group, but Chelmsford received one final win from Sam Stagnone in the No. 8 spot to put the finishing touches on the big victory.
Chelmsford graduated nine seniors at the conclusion of their successful campaign in 2024, opening the door for two freshmen — Stagnone and Plaisted — to be inserted into the lineup. Stone said the pair were “excellent” in their first varsity match.
“Last week, the older kids helped them get ready for this,” Stone said. “Because normally, that would be a tough spot for first match ever against Andover.”
Andover had enjoyed recent success against Chelmsford, handing them a loss in the final match of the season last fall. Now that Chelmsford has been elevated to the MVC 1, the two teams will meet again this season at the challenging Indian Ridge.
And while Chelmsford’s Jacob Carlson fell victim to Jenney’s masterful performance on Monday, look for the Chelmsford senior to bounce back in a big way in the second meeting. Carlson, a two-time MVC 2 Player of The Year, won the individual league championship last season and has experience notching jaw-dropping marks of his own.
In a contest at Tewksbury last September, Carlson formulated a 5-under 31 at Trull Brook Golf Course. The round included six birdies and just one bogey, and it was a snapshot of what the Chelmsford golfer is capable of. Both coaches were awed at the scorecard following the match, similar to the reaction from Jenney’s round on Monday. Carlson fired an even-par 33.
“So he’ll keep his confidence up,” Stone said of Carlson. “He’s had so many good finishes.”
Stone added that Carlson is prepared to perform under the pressure this season and was impressed with his results over the summer in tournaments.
“If I shoot a good score, I’m happy,” Carlson said. “If I play bad, next day you move on and try to improve on the day before. Just one day at a time, keep getting better.”
