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JOHN SCHWARBNearly a year after a cousin died in Iraq, Alex Coogan heads to Central off a strong summer.
BROOKSVILLE - There appears to be no sophomore slump among Central golfers.
Two years ago, then-sophomore Grey Gonzalez shot 75 to win the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference tournament. Last year, Austin Grey nearly duplicated the feat in his second year with the Bears, losing in a sudden-death playoff.
Perhaps this year, Alex Coogan can be the next Central sophomore sensation. His summer indicated he has got the game.
Coogan, younger brother of former Central all-conference player Andrew Coogan, was named the North Suncoast Junior Golf Association's player of the year after a dominating summer in the circuit's boys 15 advanced division. He averaged 81.4 for all matches and shot 78-75-153 in the NSJGA's Tournament of Champions.
Now, the challenge will be to take that success into the world of high school golf. Coogan is up for it after last season, where tragedy took him away from the course.
Coogan's cousin, Sgt. Trevor Blumberg, was killed Sept. 14 near Fallujah, Iraq, when the Humvee in which he was riding rolled over a mine. The U.S. Army paratrooper was 22 and had arrived in Iraq just three days earlier.
"We were pretty close," Coogan said. "It was a hard thing."
Coogan took about three weeks off from school, spending most of the time in Canton, Mich., with family. Golf, understandably, was miles from his mind.
When he returned to school, the season was coming to a close and the Bears were rolling with a half-dozen solid players. Coogan played in the final regular-season match, but that along with golf before Sept. 14 was about it in a shortened freshman season.
But as an admitted golf fanatic, Coogan continued playing and hit the ground running come summer, thriving with an accurate iron game and above-average length off the tee for a 15-year-old.
Now, he'll have the chance to be a regular on a Central team that is loaded, but not so overloaded that another sophomore can't break through.
"Can Coogan be that kind of guy? He has the potential to be," Central coach Gary Morton said. "I wish he could have gotten to play a couple more matches (last year), that really would have helped him, but he has potential."
Potential, and perspective nearly a year after his cousin's death.
"Yeah, I think about it, but you've got to get past it," said Coogan, who would hit balls every now and then with his cousin, who was not a golfer. "He doesn't want anybody crying over it. He's too strong."
- John Schwarb can be reached at 800 333-7505, ext. 1407. Send e-mail to schwarb@sptimes.com