Season previews of local H.S. boys and girls golf teams
Jack Mast is one of four returning letterwinners for the Hiland boys golf team, which has high expectations this season after placing fourth at last year’s Division III state tournament.
The high school boys and girls golf seasons began July 29. Here are season previews for schools in The Holmes Bargain Hunter’s coverage area:
Hiland boys
Expectations are high again for the Hawks, who only graduated one letterwinner from last year’s team that finished fourth at the Division III state tournament.
Hiland returns senior Camden Bille, junior Jack Mast, and sophomores Andrew Beun and Grant Bille. Combine them with freshmen newcomers Jesse Conn, Colton Hochstetler, Benjamin Weaver and Keaton Miller and this fall has the potential to be special.
“Our returning lettermen have improved enough from last year to be scoring in the low to mid-70s consistently,” 22nd-year coach Austin Kaufman said. “Given the talent of the rest of the players on the team, I am hoping to have a group this year that averages around 310-315 in tournaments. Those numbers are five to 10 shots better than last year.”
Kaufman’s players have put a lot of time in on the links this summer.
“Our players have competed in the First National Bank Tour, the Northern Ohio PGA Tour and the Hurricane Junior Tour,” he said. “These tournaments present challenging courses and competition. We have done really well in these tournaments this summer and have had some first- and second-place finishes.”
The Hawks finished as Inter-Valley Conference champions last season, and Kaufman is expecting a similar result this year.
“I think we will be the team to beat again, and I am expecting a better record this year than last year,” he said.
West Holmes boys
It will be a bit of a transition season for the Knights, who graduated several of their top players.
“We had a pretty established top three for the past few years,” sixth-year coach Mike Molnar said. “This year will be an opportunity for the golfers who have been in the shadows to shine. We have three returning lettermen who worked hard to improve each year, but the other varsity spots are up for grabs. This season will have a little bit of growing pains but also a lot of excitement and intrigue as golfers compete for varsity spots.”
Seniors Connor Burchfield and Maverick Rickly and sophomore Zane Kinsey are the returning letterwinners. They’ll be joined by newcomers senior Wyatt Carter; sophomores Blake Harford, Ford Jones and Koen Bridenthal; and freshmen Malachi Dodson, Hunter Haynes, Asael Kandel and Wyatt Troyer.
“Connor Burchfield and Maverick Rickly are solid leaders for us, and after watching and learning from last year’s seniors, they are ready to showcase their talents,” Molnar said. “Both lead by example with their work ethic and personify the strong character we expect in the program. Zane Kinsey did well as a freshman last year and has the potential to be a very good golfer. Our younger golfers are eager to learn and improve.”
Inexperience could hurt West Holmes to start the season.
“We have good numbers out for the team but are very inexperienced beyond our three letterwinners,” Molnar said. “How quickly we identify our top golfers will determine how successful we are from a win-loss perspective.”
West Holmes finished seventh in the Ohio Cardinal Conference last season. Molnar expects some of his players to earn all-conference honors as the team works to find its footing in the conference landscape.
“The OCC is a strong league, and the three-tournament setup really creates suspense,” he said. “We have some individuals whose goals should be all-conference, but as a team, our hope is to be competitive and improve throughout the season. New Philly has a very good program, and Wooster has a good chance in the league as well.”
West Holmes girls
It’s an exciting time at West Holmes, which is fielding its first girls team in program history.
“We have had individuals compete in the past, but this year we finally have enough to compete as a team,” Molnar said. “We will have three first-year golfers, so our goal is to improve throughout the season.”
Senior Memphis Jones, WH’s lone returning letterwinner, recruited several of the team’s girls to try the sport.
“She will be a great leader for us,” Molnar said of Jones. “The desire to learn and improve is huge with this team. The new girls are excited to learn how to play while our experienced girls are working hard to improve their skills. Their attitude towards the game, their teammates and their coaches couldn’t be better. We will have a lot of fun this year.”
Jones will be joined by juniors Kaylee Gingerich and Jevin Zheng, sophomore Payton Hudson, and freshman Aubrey Burchfield.
Although the Lady Knights will be inexperienced, that has some potential upside.
“We lack a lot of experience, but that also means that we haven’t developed bad habits,” Molnar said.
Molnar said Lexington will be tough to beat in the OCC.
“We are excited to have a full team, but with a number of first-year golfers, our goal is to improve throughout the season,” he said.
Garaway boys
The Pirates graduated two of their top golfers but return plenty of talent.
Senior Trace Gibson, a two-time state qualifier in Div. III, is one of those returnees. Seniors Nick Maust, Kaleb Miller and Chett Troyer and sophomores Austin Tedrick and AJ Miller are the other returning letterwinners. Sophomore Henry Swartzentruber also is expected to contribute this season.
“We have been working not only on the physical aspect of our games, but we have also been working on the mental side, so I look for that to be a strength of ours, where we are focusing on ourselves and our team only, not about what the player next to us is doing,” fourth-year coach Mikayla Johnson said. “The team we have is hungry to work and to be the best for their teammates. They will do whatever is needed of them in order to help their team be successful, whether that is leading by example, having conversations with their teammates or just encouraging someone who might be struggling. They want the best for their team.”
Inconsistent play by some of their newcomers could hurt the Pirates to start the season.
“With losing those two key seniors from last year, they were consistent in their scoring for our team,” Johnson said. “With some new players rising to meet the moment, I think we will see the gaps filled, but the consistency might not be as strong as it was in years past. We will all have to do our part in order to be successful.”
Garaway finished second in the final IVC standings last season. Johnson expects the Pirates to be one of the conference’s top teams again this year.
“The league is very strong currently, which is wonderful to see,” Johnson said. “I think like in years past, we will be fighting to be one of the top programs in the IVC. I am excited to see how strong the league is, and it forces us to be prepared each and every night ready to battle.”
Garaway girls
The past three seasons have been nothing short of special for the Lady Pirates.
Three consecutive trips to the Div. II state tournament including runner-up finishes the past two seasons.
Unfortunately for Garaway, the five players who spearheaded those three state trips graduated, leaving a massive hole to fill.
“This year will be a new experience for the younger girls,” eighth-year coach Angie Miller said. “They had great role models, which they watched for years, and now it is time for them to step up and play an active role on varsity.”
The Lady Pirates return five letterwinners with previous varsity experience — senior Camryn Ianiello, juniors Sara Weaver and Audrey Immel, and sophomores Kylie Miller and Abby Steiner. They’ll be joined by freshman newcomer Reegan Gerber.
“These girls know they have big shoes to fill but are not letting that stand in their way of staying positive and working hard to be the best they can be,” coach Miller said. “Camaraderie will help them to stay calm on stressful days.”
A lack of time playing together could be an issue to start the season.
“(The) girls have played in many events but not as a varsity team,” coach Miller said. “The more events we play in, the better that will be.”
Waynedale
Jordan Miller, the top returning player in the entire WCAL, is back and looking to help the Golden Bears capture another conference championship. Miller, who was medalist at the WCAL Championships and had the second-best overall score in league play in 2023, finished the year with one of the top averages (39.4) in the area.
Fellow junior Hank Miller also is coming off a strong campaign, posting a 41.4 average and earning second-team all-league honors, while fellow veterans in juniors Brayden Schlabach (43.5), Caden Snyder (47.4) and sophomore Hudson Barkman (44.8) should provide from some depth throughout the lineup.
If that wasn’t enough, Waynedale has a handful of newcomers who also could fill spots, paced by sophomore Logan Troyer. Juniors Mason Henderson and Adi Weirick also had strong seasons a year ago, along with sophomore Micah Gessel.
Senior Landon Gatti, sophomore Gabe Sundberg, freshman Rayce Jacobs and Sadie Gatti round out the roster.
Since Melinda Budd took over the program in 1995, the Bears have won 14 county titles and was 21-3 overall last season.
Triway
First-year coach Darius Wallace looks to rebuild the Titans after a seventh-place finish in the PAC last fall. Wallace, who takes over for longtime coach Brian Kiper, brings back a strong handful of players who picked up valuable experience.
Senior Isaac Moorman leads the group of veterans. Moorman returns with the team’s top average for nine holes (44.2) and 18 (90.7) and will look to take over the leadership role after the graduation of Tyler Snyder.
Junior Jaxson Zemrock, sophomore Gabe Roth and Davin Merckle were each on Triway’s postseason roster a year ago.