EAST PROVIDENCE — The East Providence High School golf team is the first of the usual spring sports to return to action in 2021 after last year’s entire slate of competition for the season was canceled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As has been the case throughout the 2020-21 term, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League has shortened the schedule for golf, which begins a four-match schedule for teams this week. The Townies travel to face host Barrington with Middletown on Thursday, April 22, at Rhode Island Country Club for their Eastern Division opener. Practice for golf actually began last week on Monday, April 12.

With the Townies’ long-time home course at Metacomet no more, at least for the moment, EPHS will practice and/or play at four layouts in the city and area. The Townies will host their lone home match at the Agawam Hunt Club on May 5. They’ll also practice there, at Wannamoisett C.C. and the Silver Spring Golf Course locally while utilizing the nine-hole par 3 course at nearby Swansea C.C.

“We’ll be traveling a lot,” said EPHS head coach Bill McEnery. “The kids are excited. I haven’t seen them in a year, so I don’t know what to expect. And we only have six kids, so they’re all going to play.”

Junior Michael Wetmore and senior Kyle Duggan are the team co-captains and top returning players. Wetmore is expected to earn the No. 1 spot in the order with Duggan at the two.

“Michael is a very good player. I really believe he is one of the Top 10 players in the state, but he has to go out and prove it. Kyle has improved 100 percent since the last time I saw him play. They’re both junior members at Ledgemont (C.C. in Seekonk). I was able to go watch Kyle play recently and I was very impressed with how much better he has gotten,” McEnery said.

The rest of the EPHS roster is made up of relative newcomers. Senior Colby Nelson has been on the team for two years, but has yet to play a varsity match. Senior Brookelynn Costa is in her first year on the team as are sophomore Chris Riel and freshman Zachary Mendo.

“We’re experienced at the top and inexperience at the bottom of the lineup,” McEnery said. “I want us to compete. That’s my theme for this year. We have 28 days of golf this season. I want them to get better every day. If we can improve every time we play, I’ll be happy.”

The Townies will hit the road for  their other division matches at Newport Country Club with host Rogers and Crestwood Country Club with host Bay View. EPHS will also play as a marker for host Tiverton at Montaup C.C. in a non-league outing.

Like the regular season, the golf postseason has been condensed as well, though it remains in its traditional dates on the calendar, the Tuesday and Wednesday after Memorial Day, at its long-running home of Cranston Country Club. This year that’s June 1 and 2.

Per usual, the top two teams in each of the state’s five divisions will automatically qualify for the championship tournament. There will be no division playoffs between teams placing three, four and five in the regular season division standings for the other spots as in the past. Instead, the next five teams, regardless of record or division, will earn the remaining five berths into the state tourney based on the lowest season scoring averages. Qualification for the individual state tournament, as always, will also be based on scoring average per player for the season.

For EPHS in the Eastern Division, the Townies buck up against stalwarts Barrington, the state’s all-time winningest program, and Portsmouth, yearly one of better teams around. The locals are hopeful to be on par with the likes of Bay View, Middletown, Rogers, Tiverton and Mt. Hope as each aims for one of the team scoring average spots available into the state event.

“Barrington and Portsmouth are the usual suspects,” McEnery added. “I’m just hoping we can be competitive with the rest of the teams. If we’re competitive, we can win, but it’s also about improving as the season goes along.”