There is a lot of talent returning to the links this year when the high school golf season begins today.

Two reigning individual champions will be back with their teams, Chelso Barrett of Keene and Hayden Maroun of Moultonborough Academy. In Windham, replacing Division II champion Nick Fairweather is Connor Greenleaf, one of the hottest junior golfers in the state, while at Mascenic of New Ipswich, the Vikings have their top player back as well as an incoming freshman who could take over the No. 1 spot there.

Keene, Windham, Mascenic and Moultonborough all won titles in their their respective divisions last season, and each one looks primed for another good run.

Moultonborough is riding a 46-match win streak into this season, and with Maroun back, the Panthers should once again be one of the top contenders in Division IV.

Its ranks may be depleted a bit, but the two-time defending champ is ready for another season and Maroun, who won the Division IV individual competition last fall, leads the way.

“He'll be tough for anybody to beat in Division IV this year,” said veteran Moultonborough coach Ken Nilson.

The Panthers have three golfers back who regularly scored for that squad including Maroun, Tim Casey and Jeff Littrest, all seniors.

Some other players Nilson expects to contribute this year are senior Kevin Ireland and juniors Matt Harfst and Nick Law. Teams to watch out for in the division are Derryfield of Manchester, Littleton and Profile of Bethlehem.

The person to beat once again in Division I is Barrett of Keene, who had an up-and-down summer. He won his second New Hampshire Golf Association Junior Championship in three years, but then failed to qualify for match play at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, a tournament at which he finished second in 2011.

The senior has already committed to play at Texas Christian University starting in 2013.

He leads a Blackbird squad that lost two of its top three players from a year ago, but has a good crop of young talent to fill in behind Barrett.

Will Silverstein, a junior, scored for Keene on a regular basis last season, and incoming freshman Keeton Foster could challenge him for the No. 2 spot. Foster was second in the fourth flight at the NHGA State Junior Championship and was runner up at the Bretwood Invitational.

A few other teams to watch for in Division I are newcomer Bedford, Concord, Bishop Guertin of Nashua and Pinkerton Academy of Derry.

Defending Div. III champion Mascenic also returns its top golfer from a year ago, Jalen Rines.

Vikings coach Russ Salo said he has played some golf with Rines this summer and the senior has made some progress with one part of his game.

“He's mentally better,” Salo said. “He keeps his head together and stays stronger mentally.”

There could be some competition for that top spot. Salo said incoming freshman Roman Ojala, the younger brother of Jocelyn Ojala, a senior on the squad, could give Rines a run for his money.

“He's going to contend for that top spot,” Salo said.

Meanwhile, Jocelyn Ojala scored for the Vikings on a regular basis last season and has been playing a lot of golf this summer. She was the top New Hampshire finisher and fifth overall at the New England Interscholastic Girls' Golf Championship and had a good run at the Red Ryan CYO tournament in Manchester.

There is also one rule change in Division III. Seven players will compete this year instead of six, but four scores will still be used.

“I like it,” Salo said. “The more players we can get out on the course the better it is for golf.”

Mascenic beat Gilford, 327-341, for the title last year. A few other teams Salo said that should be contenders in Division III are Bow, Kearsarge of North Sutton and Conant of Jaffrey.

In Division II, defending champion Windham may have lost Fairweather, but it still has Greenleaf. Fairweather, the reigning Division II individual champion, graduated but Greenleaf, a junior, has made a name for himself over the summer.

Greenleaf was the only New Hampshire golfer to make it to the stroke play portion of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, he tied for second place at the World Series of Junior Golf in Providence, R.I., and qualified for the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships at Torrey Pines in California.

“I do feel like I'm at the top of my game,” Greenleaf said. “I'll try to bring what I had going in the summer into the fall.”

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Mark Quirk may be reached at mquirk@unionleader.com.