GolfNewsRI

The 2026 high school golf season is just mere hours from getting started. 

Starting today (Monday) and over the next couple of days, GolfNewsRI will be rolling out previews of every division and the teams in them. 

The previews come after talking to more than a dozen coaches across all divisions and gaining valuable insights on the teams, divisions, star players and players on the rise. 

First, here are a few storylines and notes about the upcoming season: 

Key Storylines

5-Peat?:

Once again, all eyes will be on the La Salle Rams as they go for a five-peat this season. 

No team in Rhode Island High School golf history has ever won five straight State Championships, and the Rams are poised to be the first. 

“The kids have this desire to keep it going themselves. They just love golf and that’s a big part of it. No-one has ever won five in a row and they know that,” said La Salle Head Coach Steve White. 

Barrington won eight of nine, and ten of 12, from 2002-2013, but never five straight. 

“La Salle lost nothing. They are flipping Olivia Williams for Nate Jackson. If Jackson was on the roster in the states (last year) they would have won by more. They have an unmatchable one-two punch with Drew {MacLeod} and Brett {Rollo}. It’s going to be a tall order for someone to beat them over two days,” said Challenge Cup’’s Dave Adamonis. 

Read more about La Salle in the West Division preview coming this week. 

End of an Era

Defending High School Girls Champion Adriana Eaton will graduate after this season and head off to the next adventure. 

Her graduation will mark the end of an era at Moses Brown as when the 2027 season kicks off, there will not be an Eaton (Kylie or Adriana) on the team. 

“I’m gonna miss her when she is gone, she and Kylie have been a big part of our program over the last few years. It is going to be tough to see them go,” said MB Head Coach Larry Tremblay.  

Adriana rolled to a State Title in 2025 after firing a first round 66. 

She will look to close out her high school career strong. 

Read more about Adriana Eaton and the Moses brown squad in the West Division preview coming this week. 

Star Freshmen

Superstar freshmen on the rise this season? 

Over at Hendricken, Head Coach Bobby Leopold is really excited about freshman Ray Rainville. 

“We need an A player and so that’s really nice. Especially since he is a freshman. He is going to be a massive help to our team,” said Leopold. 

Rainville has been competing in Challenge Cup and other junior events and joins the Hawks with an “impressive junior resume.” 

Over at Cranston West, watch out for Kailer Louangxay, who you have surely seen on leaderboards in Challenge Cup events and RIGA Junior events. 

“It’s a great to see a Cranston kid stay in Cranston. He is going to start right away. I expect him to be at the top, if not this year, soon enough,” said Head Coach Stephen Hallas. 

Could these two, among others, be the next faces of Rhode Island High School golf for years to come?

Early Start

As GNRI pointed out late last week after talking with coaches, the high school season is starting significantly earlier than usual this year. 

That is due to weather issues (both now and in the future), as well as a late April vacation and an early Memorial Day weekend. 

The State Championship is always the Tuesday/Wednesday following the holiday and with the combination of April vacation and Memorial Day, the season would have been shorter than it already is. 

Race to Cranston CC

Once again there will be two ways for teams to qualify for the State Championship Tournament at Cranston Country Club. 

The five division winners will earn automatic bids, while the next seven teams based on iWR will qualify for the tournament. 

Check out last year’s final standings HERE 

GolfNewsRI will once again be tracking the Race to Cranston CC this season with standings updates and analysis published on Monday mornings. 

The first update will come once each team or enough teams have played matches for it to make sense.