As the boy’s golf season begins, a major question loomed following the passing of coach Chris Quinn. Who would be the new head golf coach?

That’s when English teacher Sam Hanley took this time of uncertainty as an opportunity to focus on his love for golf while serving the school in yet another way. 

“I’ve been teaching here for 21 years and I feel like I’ve done lots of other things, … and it’s sort of the one thing I haven’t done,” Hanley said

Ever since he was 3 years old, Hanley has always had a golf club in his hand, but even with all those years of playing, it was always a fun hobby for him to play when he had time. 

That was until Athletic Director Brian Murphy put out the position for the head coach of the boy’s golf team. After talking to Murphy about the position, Hanley turned in an application, and an interview was underway that got him the job.

“I knew he loved golf, I knew he loved students and so putting those two together is a good combination,” Murphy said.

As the season began, Hanley realized that it was important to intertwine teamwork into everything they did. This meant the team hitting the course together, riding the bus to and from practice together and even focusing on things as simple as talking with each other.

“He’s a great coach,” sophomore golfer Benjamin Munoz said. “He has a nice sense of humor, and it’s easy to connect with him.”

But, even while implementing his own values in the program, Hanley knows it’s important to remember what Quinn did for the team. Everyone who knew Quinn said he was an incredible coach and person who should be honored for all that he did.

One way the golf team is doing that is by taking time to honor him at their Martinsville match, while also working on other things to honor him throughout the season. 

“We only have so much time here on Earth, and it’s important to make your mark so people remember what you were about, and I think coach Quinn made his mark,” Murphy said. “He influenced students, he was great to students.”

So, as the golf season moves forward, Hanley hopes to continue finding ways to honor Quinn while also helping strengthen the relationships between team members. He believes that this is one of the strongest teams SHS has had in a long time, and he hopes to be very competitive as the season goes on.

“We should not only be competitive,” Hanley said, “but we have a chance to do some things that maybe the teams in the past haven’t done if we stay focused.”