Hiland golfers have usual big goals; Garaway girls seek final step
Kenzie Woods has earned three varsity letters on the West Holmes boys golf team and qualified for the girls district tournament last year.
The high school boys and girls golf seasons began July 31.
Here are season previews for each school in The Holmes Bargain Hunter’s coverage area:
Hiland
The Hawks lost two key pieces from last year’s Inter-Valley Conference championship-winning team, but that doesn’t mean they’re short on talent entering this season.
“We will be missing Nathan Kline and Lucas Yoder (this year), but I’m expecting our returning letterwinners to post some great numbers this year,” said 21st-year coach Austin Kaufman, whose team went 12-0 overall and 10-0 in the IVC last season. “They have been posting good scores this summer in their junior golf tournaments. We have several younger players who have been working hard this summer, and I’m looking forward to seeing them fulfill an important role for our team. Freshman Andrew Beun’s summer tournament scores have been good enough to be highly competitive at the varsity level.”
Senior Monty Coblentz, junior Camden Bille and sophomore Jack Mast are all returning letterwinners while freshmen Beun, Zane Rosetti, Braden Geckler, Benjamin Bowling and Grant Bille are all viewed as promising newcomers.
“Our short game as a team has been excellent so far,” Kaufman said. “We don’t three-putt too often, and we hit great approach shots to the green. Our par save percentage is really high as well.”
The Hawks still have some things to work on to start the season, as Kaufman said they’re currently making too many double bogeys and need to improve their fairway accuracy and course management.
Hiland’s goal remains the same when it comes to the IVC — bringing home some hardware to Berlin.
“Our biggest competitor in the league this year will be Garaway,” Kaufman said. “It will be a fight to win it this year, but both teams will have to bring their best performances whenever we play each other.”
West Holmes
The Knights struggled last year but have plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the 2023 season.
They return last year’s top five scorers including three four-year letterwinners.
“Last year our varsity golfers were learning how to be leaders and compete consistently,” said fifth-year coach Mike Molnar, whose team finished 2-7 and seventh in the Ohio Cardinal Conference last season. “This year they have spent much of their summer preparing for their final season. Our two returning junior lettermen spent the summer taking lessons and working on their games. As a group they have played more rounds this summer than last. They have done the work to prepare for the season.”
Molnar said his team’s experience will be a big advantage this season.
“Last year we had one golfer, Trey Baker, make it to districts as an individual, and another, Grady Toye, just miss the cut,” he said. “Both are much better this season. Kenzie Woods has won three varsity letters on the boys team and qualified for the girls district last year. She has worked hard this summer. Daniel Baird, our last senior, is a solid ball striker who has improved every season. Juniors Maverick Rickly and Connor Burchfield have had a great offseason and will be quality contributors. Newcomers Memphis Jones, Ford Jones, Blake Harford and Zane Kinsey will begin their high school careers this season. Zane has a chance to see varsity action as a freshman.”
Molnar said his players still need to work on their consistency and composure.
“We are still learning how to let go of our bad shots and focus on the next shot,” he said. “As soon as we learn how to do that, we will be ready to compete with some of the better teams in the area.”
Molnar said his team could sneak into the top four of the OCC with a solid effort this season.
“The OCC is a strong league, and the three-tournament setup really creates suspense,” he said. “There were a number of strong seniors that graduated last year, which should make the league very competitive. Ashland, Mt. Vernon, Lexington and New Philly are the top teams.”
Garaway boys
The Pirates return five of their top six players from last year, so they’re looking to make some noise this season.
“Our team has not lost much from last year,” said third-year coach Mikayla Johnson, whose team went 13-3 overall and finished third in the Inter-Valley Conference last season. “Our top four to five players will be returning this season. For us, the difference will be adding some players this season that have the potential to be varsity level coming in for us, and it in result will push our team to be better and to work harder.”
Seniors Carter Miller and Keshawn Miller and juniors Trace Gibson, Nick Maust and Kaleb Miller are Garaway’s returning letterwinners.
Seven incoming freshmen, including Austin Tedrick, who has been playing well this summer, are all viewed as promising newcomers.
“Only losing one player out of our top six will be our biggest strength,” Johnson said. “We have a lot of experience and talent that will be leading this team. We have some great leaders that will be an asset to our team. Also, adding some newcomers that have shown a lot of potential will be another strength of ours. Our mindset of the team will also be another strength for us. We have a lot of drive and hunger to reach our goals that we have fallen short of doing in years past.
“Mixing these strengths together will hopefully lead to a lot of success for our team.”
Like always, Johnson expects the IVC to be a gauntlet.
“Our league is made up of great coaches, players and teams,” Johnson said. “It is typically a competitive league, and I expect the same this year. I think you’ll see a few teams battling each other for the top spot. I believe that we have the skills and the talent to finish as champions, but it won’t happen without a fight, and we are looking forward to it.”
Garaway girls
Expectations are sky-high for the Lady Pirates entering this season.
And rightfully so.
They return everyone from last year’s Division II state runner-up team, which also captured IVC, sectional and district championships.
“This team set many school records last year, but they still have a few goals that they want to achieve this year, with the biggest goal being bringing home a state championship,” ninth-year coach Angie Miller said. “With another year of experience under their belts, they are more aware of what it will take to make that happen.”
Five returning senior letterwinners will lead the way this year — Sammi Miller, Sydni Prysi, Brooklyn Numbers, Hannah Steiner and Olivia Immel. Junior Camryn Ianniello and sophomore Sara Weaver are the other returning letterwinners.
They will be joined by promising newcomers Kylie Miller and Abby Steiner, both freshmen, and sophomore Audrey Immel.
“Having five seniors on the team brings a lot of experience,” coach Miller said. “These seniors have been playing together since they were in seventh grade. They have worked very hard individually on their games year round, keeping each other accountable and challenging each other to get better.
“The internal friendly competition is the greatest contributors to this team’s success.”
Coach Miller said self-applied pressure is the one thing that could stop the Lady Pirates from achieving their goals this season.
“This team has the potential to make it to the largest stage and compete against the best in the state,” she said. “The only thing that could stop them from being state champions is any pressure they put on themselves.”
Winning the IVC title again is the expectation this season.
“Garaway is blessed to have 10 girls, and all 10 are varsity-caliber players,” coach Miller said. “We have high expectations on leading the league again this year.”
Loudonville
The Redbirds posted an outstanding 12-1 record last season, but they are in a bit of a rebuild entering this season after losing four of their top five players that played in sectional and district rounds last year.
“We will have a totally different team than last season,” ninth-year coach Jim Conley said.
Conley said his team’s closeness will be a strength this season, with junior Judah Layton, the lone returning letterwinner, leading the way.
“Judah has developed into a great player and is really taking on a leadership role with this young and somewhat inexperienced team,” Conley said.
Promising newcomers AJ Bell and Austin Cawrse, both juniors, will try to help fill the void on the varsity roster.
Conley said inexperience is his team’s biggest adversary entering the season.
“Several of my new players can hit the ball well,” he said. “It’s just a matter of consistency and making the right decisions.”
Triway
Triway is now two years removed from the golf teams that made back-to-back appearances at the state tournament, and veteran coach Brian Kiper can look to the top of his lineup for a direct link to that past success.
Tyler Snyder, the lone senior on the Titan roster, is back for his final season. After contributing on the state teams, Snyder was the bright spot on Triway’s fifth-place Principals Athletic Conference squad of a year ago, averaging an even 40 strokes per nine-hole match.
“He learned from the top players on our 2020 and 2021 teams and has steadily improved every year of his career,” said Kiper, getting set to start his 16th season at the helm with a 155-101 record. The Titans were 6-8 in the PAC last year, finishing fifth.
Junior Isaac Moorman averaged 49.4 strokes per nine holes as a sophomore. He will look to lower that number while combining with Snyder to get the Titans off to a good start.
“The only difference from last year to this year will be our top two golfers have improved from last year and are ready to set the table at the top of our lineup,” Kiper said. “Isaac Moorman now has two years of varsity experience and is ready to compete each time out.
“Tyler learned from the top players on our 2020 and 2021 teams and has steadily improved every year of his career, and Isaac has really worked hard this offseason and is a student of the game, looking to really improve his consistency.”
Sophomore Jaxson Zemrock also returns while freshman Gabe Roth is someone Kiper said holds promise as a varsity newcomer.
As for the PAC outlook, Kiper said Manchester is the clear favorite, with the battle for second a toss-up.
“Manchester was the class of the league last year and returns everyone this year. They will be tough to beat,” Kiper said. “Northwest, CVCA and Orrville all lost their No. 1 golfers to graduation. There will be some very competitive matches from the other seven teams in the league.”
Waynedale
She’s seen every situation a coach could possibly see, but Melinda Budd’s 29th season leading the Waynedale golf team promises to be unique, even for her.
Mark Yoder, who averaged 46.7 strokes per nine last year, is the lone upperclassmen for the Golden Bears.
But with returning Wayne County Athletic League first-teamer Jordan Miller leading the way, Budd’s Bears will feature a strong sophomore class that goes seven-deep.
Miller (42.3 average), Hank Miller (45.6), Brayden Schlabach (47.2), Doug Gingerich and Adi Weirick all lettered as freshmen on a Waynedale team that went 12-6 and placed third in the WCAL standings, then finished second behind unbeaten Dalton in the league tournament.
“Five of our six golfers will be either sophomores or freshmen,” said Budd, who listed freshmen Micah Gessell and Hudson Barkman and sophomores Caden Snyder and Mason Henderson as promising newcomers.
“Many of the sophomores were in our lineup last season, so even though young, they’ve had varsity experience,” the coach said. “With youth sometimes brings inconsistency, but with the experience they received last season, our plan is to overcome some of that and learn to overcome mistakes, both physically and mentally.”
In Weirick, Budd has a golfer who could work her way into the boys varsity lineup, then make a deep run in the girls postseason.
She, like the rest of her teammates, will try to make a big step in development.
“Even though young, our group has played in varsity matches, summer events and spent some time on the golf course over the summer,” said Budd, who does lose four-year letterman Trey Barkman from a year ago. “Throughout our lineup, we are capable of scoring low 40s and even breaking into the 30s.”
Budd said the league has some talented individuals. She’s counting on her team to have enough of them to reclaim its familiar spot at or near the top.
“Our expectation is always to finish at the top of the WCAL,” she said. “I feel Dalton and Smithville also have strong lineups.”