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Will the Hornets of Mansfield High hold up to the rigors of competitive golf in the Hockomock League and challenge North Attleboro High for the championship in 2008? That is a very distinct possibility as the depth of the Hornets will be tested by the talent of the Rocketeers.

In the Eastern Athletic Conference, the Bishop Feehan Shamrocks will have their hands full with Coyle-Cassidy, while in the Old Colony League, the Attleboro Bombardiers can vie with anyone but defending champion Barnstable.

The Norton High Lancers already have a "championship" aura in that two-time and reigning AAGA Open champion Ryan Riley has taken over the coaching duties. And back for an extended curtain call in the South Coast Conference is Dighton-Rehoboth High coach Bill Cute, coaxed from the clubhouse to direct a championship caliber club.

Foxboro Warriors

"It's a younger league," related Foxboro High coach Shawn Seybert, whose Warriors should be much improved in Hockomock League matches. Junior Brian Kronmiller averaged 41.6 last year, while senior co-captain Derek Robichaud, the No. 2 leading scorer also returns. Senior co-captain Brian Foley, seniors Brian Nixon, Matt Cote and Mike Fay join junior James Keenan and sophomore Brandon Goold as the Foxboro foundation. "There was a lot of competition in the Hockomock League last year and we lost a lot of the away matches."

King Philip Warriors

Having lost seven of its top eight players from last season, Warrior coach Joe O'Halloran is hell-bent on improving individual skills and not worrying about what the team scores will be. In time, KP will be competitive and he had better than two dozen players show up at the first tee.

Senior co-captains Pat Jeffrey and Brian Sugrue have match experience from last season, but the rest of the team are underclassmen with upward learning curves. Sophomores Cam Bushway and Tom Eaton show promise, junior Brandon Lehman is much improved and two outstanding KP athletes of other sports, juniors Alec Palioca (baseball) and Scott Haley (hockey) lend their competitive skills.

Mansfield Hornets

Whatever Sean Kelly did to recruit golfers to represent Mansfield High he did well. He had 38 candidates for the team and has 10 seniors on the roster. "We're fairly deep and we're pretty consistent," said Kelly, whose Hornets have a definite eye on the Hockomock League title.

Senior Evan Sohn and junior Tim Grant are atop the Hornet ladder at the moment, but that could change with a few swings. Senior captains Sean McHugh and Nick Cruise, senior Bob Fluckinger along with a pair of promising sophomores, Adam Bourque and Matt DeGiorgio will be regulars. "We have 11 or 12 kids who can play pretty well," added Kelly.

North Attleboro Rocketeers

There is a lot of depth and a lot of consistency to the Big Red. There may not be one or two great players, but six or eight good players according to North coach Steve Nelson. "Even after the first six or seven, there's another six or seven kids within a shot of each other," he said.

Junior Dylan Estrella has come on strong, emerging as a potential No. 1 player. Senior captains Greg Reddington and Ryan Doherty will be in the mix with senior Josh Colvin and juniors Brendan Nolan and Brett Wilson. "A lot of these kids have really improved since last year," said Nelson, the Rocketeers once again calling Locust Valley their home course. Norton Lancers

The fruits of the labors from the MGA-Links course in Norton designed to promote youth golf should greatly aid the advancement of the Lancers, now tutored by Riley. "They've (MGA) done a fantastic job, where Norton will reap the benefits," said Riley.

Junior captain Peter Danko leads the Lancers into Tri-Valley League play. Juniors Sam Phillips, Aaron Ledwith and John Mattos should contribute significantly. Two freshmen are strong candidates for varsity play among the 18 who turned out, Mike Adler and Liz Laverghetta. "We have five or six freshmen who have the ability to play," added Riley.

Dighton-Rehoboth Falcons

"The SCC is hard to figure, but we're as deep as anyone," said D-R coach Bill Cute, whose Falcons took third place last year and qualified for the MIAA Division 2 Tournament. The reason for Cute's optimism is two-fold, a strong cast through six or eight spots and the return of junior Taylor Bowen, who attended St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket last year.

With Bowen atop the Falcon ladder, senior co-captains Kyle Harper and Kyle Garcia are solid in the next two spots. Seniors Evan Sylvia and Bryan Tavares along with junior Ben LaChance will be in the mix. The Falcons will once again call the Crestwood CC their home course.

Seekonk Warriors

Second-year head coach Mike Petrucci is keeping 14 players for the Warriors' 2008 edition. Seekonk might not be a strong contender for the South Coast Conference title, but the Warriors have all underclassmen in the current starting spots.

Senior Zach Burns and junior Lucas Preston have emerged from pre-season training as the top two players. Seniors Josh Muzick and Garrett Scherma along with juniors Tim Houde and Luke Small all have previous match experience. Once again, Seekonk will call the Ledgemont CC as its home course.

Bishop Feehan Shamrocks

"It's great to see the numbers," said Bishop Feehan coach Neil Loew of the Shamrocks' near three-dozen candidates. Using both the Heather Hill CC in Plainville and the Pawtucket CC as home course, Bishop Feehan will play pairs of non-league matches against Attleboro, Dighton-Rehoboth, Durfee and Hopedale to fill out a short six-match EAC schedule.

Senior co-captain Owen Lynch is the ringleader, a strong, solid player. Senior co-captains Bill Dailey and Dan Collins will be regular contributors as will sophomore Tim Rogers, the Wannamoisett CC junior champion. Sophomore Mike Delude and freshman Liz Rubino of Mansfield, the lone female on the roster could emerge with seniors Ryan Gormley, Mike Mathieu and Chris Patch. Juniors Jack Walton, Mike Pierard and Ryan Keefe also figure to contribute.

Attleboro Bombardiers

New head coach Kevan Higgins has a luxury in that he has two outstanding players to represent Attleboro High in juniors Brandon Nolan and Tyler Dias, both summer tournament-tested veterans. "Those two will be very good," said Higgins, whose Bombardiers will use the Highland CC as their base of operations.

Senior captain Brian Walker and senior Josh Ogden are the lone two seniors among the roster of 15. Juniors Mike Valade and Chris Lajoie will be counted upon to be regular scorers. "Other than Bishop Feehan and Barnstable, the best two teams that we'll face, we'll be able to hold our own," said Higgins.

Tri-County Cougars

Senior John Lucke and junior Mike Sanders will be the prominent players for Cougar coach Dave Chestercove. The Cougars, who play out of the New England CC in Bellingham, had a class of 18 candidates for the team. With only two seniors on the roster, a pair of freshmen - Rob Kehlen and Kyle Guimond - will get a lot of varsity playing time.