Winning has been a rich tradition for Kenston Forest School’s varsity golf team in recent years, and the 2017 Kavaliers show no signs of creating a different trend.

Last year, the team won the Virginia Colonial Conference (VCC) for the fourth consecutive year, and most of the players from that squad are back this season. Thus far, they have led the Kavaliers to an 8-4 start overall, including a 6-1 mark in the conference.

“I hope we will be able to win the conference for the fifth year in a row,” Kenston Forest Head Coach John Allen said. “With high school sports, though, you never know. We should give it a good effort anyway.”

Though they are a Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II team, the Kavaliers have been sharpening their skills against challenging non-conference opponents at the Division I level, like Benedictine College Preparatory, Christchurch School and St. Catherine’s School.

Taking on the competition this year for Kenston Forest is a roster composed of two seniors, one junior, two sophomores, one freshman and one eighth-grader.

Though the team has its leader, the group has shown impressive strength across the board.

For each team match, the top four individual scores on a team are combined to form the team score.

“We have some depth,” Allen said. “We have had contributions for the four best scores from (all) seven different golfers.”

Leading the Kavaliers on the links is Cole Hagaman, the team’s captain and last year’s individual conference champion.

“He is our most consistent golfer on the team and always aplays against opposing teams’ No. 1,” Allen said.

Another key contributor is Tyler Borum, who the coach said has had Kenston Forest’s low round of the year.

Additionally, the Kavaliers have some up-and-comers on the team that have established themselves.

“Our eighth-grader, Hogan Whitlow, from Kenbridge, has a very good game,” Allen said. “He should be very good in coming years. Tyler Borum has a great swing. He, too, should do very well.”

In identifying the biggest obstacle his team will need to over come to continue being successful this year, the coach said his players must guard against letting outside factors affect their confidence level.

“Because the weather — and the courses — are so unpredictable in early spring, our players have to guard against becoming disappointed about shooting higher scores than they anticipate,” Allen said.

In addition to Hagaman, Borum and Whitlow, the other players making up the team include Tyler Daniel, Graham Hayes, Sam Hodges and Colton Carter.

After its Tuesday match at Blessed Sacrament Huguenot Catholic School was canceled, Kenston Forest’s first action this week is scheduled for Thursday at 3 p.m. at Brunswick Academy.