The Salisbury golf team had its eyes set on the Colonial League Golf Championships before the season got underway.

Friday's win over Notre Dame (Green Pond) cemented the Falcons (8-5 in Colonial League) as one of four teams to fight for that league championship on Wednesday at Bethlehem Golf Club. The Falcons are the No. 3 team, with Moravian Academy (12-0) and Southern Lehigh (11-1) entering as division leaders.

There's no question that Falcons have overcome a number of hurdles along the way to get to this point. Jack Bonge, who also plays soccer, has missed a number of matches. Chase Rogers, another one of the seniors, has decided to focus fully on football this year.

"Considering some of the things that we went through, at 8-5 I'm pretty happy to say the least," head coach John Wagner said. "We lost one of our golfers to play football. Jack Bonge also plays soccer, so we missed him in about half of the matches. To come out with eight wins, I'm pretty happy."

First-year players senior Chris Bishop and sophomore Ryan Slutsky have provided plenty of solid play in those absences.

When the time comes to tee off Wednesday, the Falcons may be entering postseason play under the best possible circumstances. The Falcons shot a team-best 382 in their regular season finale at Wedgewood Golf Course, and will look for that momentum to carry into the league playoffs.

Three different Falcons, Kody Long (71), Evan Kulig (74) and Jack Bonge (78), shot below 80 against the Crusaders. It was Long's and Kulig's best rounds of the season.

"That is definitely the best score all year," Wagner said. "I couldn't tell you the last time we shot something like that.

"Leagues are this Wednesday, so that was the last match we would've played. It definitely gives us some confidence going."

The Falcons shot a steady 409 at The Club at Morgan Hill a day earlier against those same Crusaders, but had one of their tougher outings in a quad match a week ago at home.

"It's funny because on Wendesday we had a quad match and shot 448 at home, which was one of our worst scores," Wagner said. "To come back-to-back with another good score is good."

A season ago, the Falcons found themselves just on the outskirts of the team playoffs. With a senior-laden team itching to make history at Salisbury, the Falcons are ready to go up against the league's bests.

"I want us to make a strong showing as a team, shoot a good score, and let the chips fall where they may," Wagner said. "Individually, I'd like to see one or two of our kids place in the top 10."

Kody Long shot a 75 in last season's league tournament and placed third amongst all Colonial League participants. His consistency and mental focus has improved tremendously, and Wagner doesn't see why his top player can't replicate a similar outing.

"I think his consistency this year has been the big key," Wagner said. "He has the ability to come back from hitting a bad shot.

"A lot of it will have to do with how he plays in his head. I think the tournament gets in some kids heads. If he can put it together, I think he has a pretty good shoot at repeating in the top three, if not better."

Wednesday's tournament will include both team and individual competition. The four teams that qualified for the playoff will contend for the league's regular season title. All 11 teams will also compete for the team tournament title. The league's individual champions and medal winners will also be crowned Wednesday at Bethlehem Municipal.