Five friends. Five athletes. Five young men who joined the golf team and are now in their final year of high school. Coach Gigliotti has been gifted with a group of more than just teammates, but people who have been through most stages of life together. It’s a family, brothers.
Charlie Benincaso, Dougie Cahill, Mitchell Hjelmar, Jagger Opalinski, and Ben Whalen have all been close friends since their elementary school days. Now in their senior year of high school, what started as Cahill’s hobby, became a common interest between the whole crew.
Captain Dougie Cahill led all of his best friends to create a crew who is the show of the varsity golf team. Dougie started golfing as a kid and joined the team his sophomore year.
It was only a hobby, but discovering the school had an option to play against other high schools in Connecticut was an exciting opportunity for Dougie to hop on. However, it wasn’t long before Dougie was surrounded by four of his closest friends.
Gigliotti has led these inexperienced players to be able to compete in matches all over Fairfield County; arguably the most competitive athletic conference in Connecticut. In our interview with Coach Gigliotti, he said, “I’ve never had a group of seniors come in at the same time. These boys make the season much more special.”
Going into their last fall season, these boys hope to continue having a strong relationship and build a stronger bond amongst the golf team for next year. Tradition never graduates and the team will continue to have a strong connection.
The Norwalk High School Golf team has a bright future with lots of young talent continuing on the legacy these five boys will leave behind. “Big shoes to fill, but we have a good group of underclassmen in place including three freshman that will be able to compete right away next year,” says Coach Gigliotti.
Having fun while maintaining healthy friendships and a healthy relationship with the sport at hand isn’t something most athletes are able to attain. These five boys have found a shared love for the sport of golf and continue to build their everlasting bond. On and off the course, these boys share laughs like no other and have created memories that will last a lifetime. In their senior year of high school, Dougie, Charlie, Mitchell, Jagger, and Ben hope to have a fun and successful golf season as a last farewell to Norwalk High. Their bond is once in a lifetime, and these boys are lucky enough to have found each other at such a young age to continue to grow and live life together on and off the course.
