Hawks and Pirates renew their great golfing rivalry
Birdies in golf are good, but Garaway’s Charles Beachy would prefer to get his on the course rather than wading through a flock of geese at Fire Ridge Golf Course. The Pirates have battled Hiland to the wire in several early-season tournaments.
One-two, two-one. First and second, second and first.
Area high school golf fans may as well get used to seeing Garaway and Hiland talking about those numbers all season long as the two Inter-Valley Conference front-runners should knock heads throughout this season.
If the early going is any indication, it should be one heck of a grind as the two schools battle for supremacy.
Heading into the IVC postseason tournament at Fire Ridge Golf Course in Millersburg, the Hawks’ home track, the numbers the two teams have tallied have been tight, consistent and at or near the top of each tournament.
At the Pirates Invitational, Hiland won with a 302 with Garaway next in line at 309. At the difficult Warrior-Jaguar Classic at Northstar Golf Course, Hiland shot 309 and won the Div. III tournament while Garaway placed third in the Div. II tournament at 314. At the Polar Bear Invite, the Pirates came out on top with a 303 compared to Hiland’s 306.
For two of the states better small school programs, the beat goes on.
At the IVC postseason, the Pirates carved out another solid 312, but this time it fell off the torrid pace set by the Hawks, which fired a winning score of 292.
At the IVC preseason tournament, Hiland got a 69 from Brookston Hummel, a 71 from Carter Mishler, a 74 from Garrett Shoup and a 78 from Kenny Weaver. All four return from last year’s state championship team, with the addition of Nathan Kline holding down the fifth-man spot and doing well on his own right.
Garaway got a 70 and 71 from seniors Zehnder Gibson and Rendall Weaver. Charles Beachy added an 84, and Mikey Blauch added an 87. Nyholm said Gibson has been at par or better in each tournament thus far this season, and Weaver has not been far behind. He said their senior leadership has been instrumental in moving the team forward this early.
“Those two have been really good friends. They have grown up on the course together, and they have been looking forward to this season for a long time, (senior) Mikey Blauch too, who has also started to come into his own. We’ve got really strong senior leadership from those guys.”
Both schools have gotten off to terrific starts, and both have high hopes of again returning to the state tournament, Hiland trying to defend its Div. III title and Garaway in Div. II, where it has been a mainstay at state for more than a decade.
“We’ve had some good runs and played very consistent golf on some really tough courses so far,” Garaway head coach Brad Nyholm said. “It looks like it might be another fun season of Garaway versus Hiland at the top, which is the way it has been for some time. There’s a great rivalry with a lot of respect for one another, and it’s a good thing we don’t have to worry about each other come state tournament time.”
That was the case last year, allowing Garaway to place third in Div. II while Hiland won the state title in Div. III.
For Hiland’s head coach, the idea of not just competing for a state title but defending one is exhilarating. He said his veteran team is more than ready to defend, and thus far they have made it known they aren’t about to give up that title without a fight.
“I love the challenge. I love the idea that we might have that target on our backs because it makes us focus more and bear down even harder,” Kaufman said. “These kids know what they need to do, and they know what it takes to get to the top, so we are excited about every opportunity we get to go out and prove ourselves,” Kaufman said.
His veteran foursome of Mishler, Hummel, Weaver and Shoup have been through the rigors of playing very important golf under some big-time pressure before, so their leadership is invaluable. However, it has been Mishler and Hummel who have spearheaded this early drive to success.
“Those two kids have been leaders all summer long,” Kaufman said of Mishler and Hummel. “Even this winter they were talking to their teammates about golf, about the tournaments they went to and the things they have been doing to get better. It is what great leaders do.”
In addition, Shoup has climbed on board and given the Hawks a major boost at the four-man, something Kaufman said the team has to have to get back to successfully defending its state title.
“Garrett’s been great. He has worked so hard, and I am excited to see him step up like he has,” Kaufman said.
Both teams are bent on continuing their success, success that has led right to the state tournament quite a few times in recent years.
“The hope is that by the end of the year our top-four guys are consistently shooting in the 70s,” Nyholm said. “In my seven years here, I can’t ever remember us getting off to this strong of a start and finding this kind of success.”
As for the chase for the IVC, it’s only just begun, with regular-season play and the postseason tournament yet to come.
“It’s going to be fun,” Kaufman said of the rivalry. “It’s going to be a battle every time we tee it up.”