Bear golfers, as usual, step up at end of season
No team has been more dominant when it comes to Wayne County Athletic League golf than Waynedale.
After putting the finishing touches on their 15th conference championship earlier this month — followed up by a runner-up finish at the Division II Sectional — the Golden Bears added another line to their program resume.
And if you ask longtime coach Melinda Budd about the secret to their success over the past three decades, she isn’t shy to share it.
“We do not have a school-sponsored middle school team, but we have encouraged golfers in middle school to join in summer and fall tournaments and practices,” said Budd, who also mentioned the long-running Galen Swartzentruber Junior Golf Series at Riceland. “When this year’s juniors we have on varsity now were in middle school, we had 11 of them taking advantage of those opportunities. Now we are seeing the results.”
The majority of Waynedale’s current roster picked up valuable experience last fall, helping the team battle back late in the season to win the WCAL.
This year the group came through in September once again.
A lot of that has to do with the leadership of juniors Jordan Miller and Hank Miller. The two veteran co-captains have been among the top golfers in the area all season long and are 1-2 on the team in nine-hole averages — Jordan with a 37.3 and Hank at 40.4.
But it’s the program’s depth that has been the secret sauce to another successful run to a title.
That wasn’t more evident than it was at the WCAL Championships, where the Bears got a 6-over-par 78 from their No. 6 golfer — junior Brayden Schlabach — to complement Jordan Miller’s 72. Schlabach is far from your typical sixth-man, however, as he was an honorable mention all-conference pick last year and entered the season with the third-best average of any of the returnees from a season ago.
“Jordan and Hank are not only our co-captains, but also lead us off the tee in matches,” Budd said. “They have taken the lead in pulling everyone together. We are also fortunate the entire group gets along so well on and off the golf course. Each has the ability to shoot in the 30s and 70s. Knowing that allows them to settle in and focus on their own round.”
It’s a nice problem to have as Budd looks at the lineup and decides who will play in what position on a given day.
Along with the Millers, players like sophomores Hudson Barkman and Logan Troyer and junior Caden Snyder have all been in the low 40s for nine holes, along with Schlabach.
All of them picked up experience last fall and should be back on the roster next season as this year’s squad has no seniors.
“Winning the league title in golf with the bulk of your lineup being sophomores and freshman last year is without a doubt valuable experience for them,” Budd said. “The group this year is always challenging themselves to break previous Waynedale teams’ records and put their names in the record books.
“I also feel having several multi-sport athletes on our team is also so important. Our players are involved in baseball and basketball and have experienced the success with those teams as well.”
And like this current group of sophomores and juniors, a new crop of players are ready for their opportunity to keep the winning tradition alive — something Budd admits is on full display every day.
“Team depth goes beyond the six varsity players, as we have had good play in our JV program and middle-schoolers. Even our practice rounds are competitive,” she said. “As long as everyone involved continues to work hard, the future looks bright for the Golden Bears.”