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2026 Times golf preview: A look at the season ahead across the area · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Twenty twenty six Times Golf Preview, A look at the
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  Speaker 1: season ahead across the area, written by Brian Hoxey. This
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  Speaker 1: article is being read by an automated voice brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by Everlett. Ottawa Boys coach Keith Budzowski. Ninth season
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  Speaker 1: Top returners Briar Harris Sr. Logan Cottingham Sr. James Threadgild Junior,
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  Speaker 1: Josh Armstrong Junior, Key newcomers Jickson Knew Junior, Nevin Holloway Junior,
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  Speaker 1: Body Martin so Worth. Noting the Pirates returned four players,
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  Speaker 1: led by Harris, the twenty twenty five Times Boys Golfer
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  Speaker 1: of the Year in Harris from last year's state qualifying
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  Speaker 1: squad that placed eighth. Ottawa has also captured eight straight
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  Speaker 1: regional titles. I look to the returners as leaders and
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  Speaker 1: mentors to help the newcomers adjust to playing tougher courses
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  Speaker 1: and against tougher competition, bo Zowski said. Obviously, a trip
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  Speaker 1: to normal for the state tournament is all always the
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  Speaker 1: end goal for the season, and with our returners from
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  Speaker 1: last year and our new additions from this year, another
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  Speaker 1: interstate eight conference championship and another regional title is not
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  Speaker 1: out of the conversation Girls coach Ryan Gunderson fourth season
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  Speaker 1: Top returners Mara McCullough Sr. Gwen Hjimenez, Sr. Bela Barowski, Sr.
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  Speaker 1: Audrina Banucci, Sr. Addie Diss Junior, Sophie Nanuski, So, Megan Kane,
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  Speaker 1: so Key, newcomers Emily Ryan, Sr. Quinn Wilkinson, Sr. Sawyer
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  Speaker 1: kuljn so Worth, noting the Pirates, which feature depth and experience,
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  Speaker 1: are expected to be led by Jimenez, McCullough and Borowski,
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  Speaker 1: the former earning I eight All Conference honors last season.
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  Speaker 1: We want to continue improving throughout the season, compete in
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  Speaker 1: every match, and be playing our best golf heading into
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  Speaker 1: the conference and postseason tournaments, Gunderson said. Improving with our consistency,
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  Speaker 1: limiting big numbers, course management, and continuing to improve our
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  Speaker 1: short game and putting will be our biggest keys. Sandwich
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  Speaker 1: Boys coach Mike Butler fifteenth season Top returners Finlay Taxis So,
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  Speaker 1: Alex Bland Sr. Brady Erickson Junior, Brayden Hawkins Junior, Ty
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  Speaker 1: Leopold Junior, Arlen LESCo junior, z Ain Meeker junior, Logan
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  Speaker 1: Murphy junior, Chase Van Barriger junior Nathan Ripsky Sr. Key,
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  Speaker 1: newcomers Tatan Jant junior, Carter Rodgers junior, Ethan Geltz Sr.
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  Speaker 1: Worth noting the Indians capped off a strong season last
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  Speaker 1: year by winning the Kishwaukee River Conference title. Taxis earned
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  Speaker 1: Honorable Mention All Conference honors as a freshman. Butler expects
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  Speaker 1: Erickson to play a big role after a strong JV season.
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  Speaker 1: Girls coach Ashley Isham third season. Top returners Briton Butler Sr.
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  Speaker 1: Grasland Michelson Junior, Olivia Holterhouse junior, Klie Kesselring junior, Autumn
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  Speaker 1: Kossler Junior, Audrey Kuntz junior, Key, newcomer Kendall Patrese Junior,
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  Speaker 1: Worth noting Sandwich welcomes back six players competing as a
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  Speaker 1: full team last year, improved their conference record to two four.
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  Speaker 1: Butler and kel are returning Honorable Mention All Conference Golfers.
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  Speaker 1: Backed by a strong core of returning athletes and new talent,
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  Speaker 1: the team looks forward to the upcoming season, Easham said.
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  Speaker 1: Streeter coach Dustimously tenth season. Top returners, Jack Studnicky SR.
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  Speaker 1: Brennan Stillwell, Sr. Rocko Van Duzer, so Key, newcomers, Joe
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  Speaker 1: Graco Sr. Bryce Blakemore FR. Joe Studnicky, Worth noting the
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  Speaker 1: Bulldogs will be led by Jack Studnicky, two time Illinois
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  Speaker 1: Central Eight Conference Tournament champion, two time ICE All Conference
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  Speaker 1: Selections Sectional qualifier, and Stillwell two time ICE All Conference
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  Speaker 1: Selection Sectional qualifier. We have a good mix of senior
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  Speaker 1: leadership and up and coming freshmen, Masley said. These guys
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  Speaker 1: have been living at the golf course all summer and
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  Speaker 1: have put in the time and effort to be successful
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  Speaker 1: this season. Decision making in the heat of the match
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  Speaker 1: is always something we emphasize throughout the season. We tell
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  Speaker 1: our guys you are going to get into trouble on
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  Speaker 1: the course and have to play out of some tight spots.
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  Speaker 1: We try to minimize the damage and come away with
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  Speaker 1: the best score possible. Another aspect we are always preaching
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  Speaker 1: is consistency mentally and physically. Marquette Boys coach Ryan Nell
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  Speaker 1: third season Top returners Braxton Nell Sr. Griffin Dauberstein, Sr.
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  Speaker 1: Connor Cooper Junior, Key newcomers, Bo Thompson Sr. Michael Johnson Junior.
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  Speaker 1: Worth noting Braxton Nell was a sectional qualifier last season
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  Speaker 1: and also finished fourth in the tri County Conference tournament,
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  Speaker 1: while Doberstein and Cooper will also provide experience. Having coached
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  Speaker 1: and known many of these boys on the baseball field
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  Speaker 1: for several years, I know we have a competitive group
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  Speaker 1: heading into the season. Coach Nell said, I'm excited to
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  Speaker 1: see how much the golfers improve throughout the year and
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  Speaker 1: hope that improvement leads to more players advancing through the
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  Speaker 1: regional tournament. I'm confident a lot of these boys can
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  Speaker 1: play with the better teams this season. Girls, coach Ryan
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  Speaker 1: Nell third season top returners Lillian Paul No Sr. Madison Trainer, SR.
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  Speaker 1: Parker Poundstone Junior, Mikaela Winfeldt Junior Key newcomers Senya Metre junior,
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  Speaker 1: Lily Dable Junior, Stella Maline f R, Lany Rudick, fr
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  Speaker 1: Kei La Galiegos fr Worth noting the Crusaders are expected
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  Speaker 1: to be led by paul Now, who was a sectional
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  Speaker 1: qualifier last season and also finished fourth in the Tri
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  Speaker 1: County Conference tournament, while Trainer is also coming off a
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  Speaker 1: solid season last year. We have a lot of new
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  Speaker 1: girls this year and we'll struggle at the start, but
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  Speaker 1: I'm confident they can finish the season strong with a
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  Speaker 1: bunch of experienced girls back from last year. Nel said,
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  Speaker 1: I'm hopeful for Poundstone, Huinfeldt, and Maitre to emerge as
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  Speaker 1: the new leaders for next year. Our biggest areas to
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  Speaker 1: work on will be consistency and ball striking, chipping inside
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  Speaker 1: fifty yards and pudding. Seneca Boys coach Brian Rickson's sixteenth
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  Speaker 1: season Top returners Cooper Thorson SR. Cody Malock Radentary SR,
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  Speaker 1: Ethan Hasselbring SR. Key newcomers Hudson Hartwig Junior, Trent Powell Junior,
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  Speaker 1: Kellen Castler Junior, Daniel Isham sr B, Rody Thompson Junior,
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  Speaker 1: Liam Jones, SO, Grady Hall, so, Blake Claypool so Worth,
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  Speaker 1: noting Thorson had a forty one point seven average for
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  Speaker 1: the Fighting Irish last season while earning All Tri County
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  Speaker 1: Conference honors and qualifying for Sectional. Malac was also an
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  Speaker 1: All TCC selection and a sectional qualifier with a forty
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  Speaker 1: three point two average. Coach Ericson, I'm excited for the
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  Speaker 1: season to start and see if this team can consistently
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  Speaker 1: shoot the low team scores that they are capable of.
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  Speaker 1: The players put in the work over the summer and
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  Speaker 1: they are confident that they will continue the streak of
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  Speaker 1: success that our boys program has had over the last
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  Speaker 1: six years. Girls coach Brian Rickson sixteenth season. Top returners
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  Speaker 1: Piper Stenz LSR. Vivian Kronkrite Sr. Heiden LAVARISR. Josie Mitchell Junior, Key,
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  Speaker 1: newcomers Olivia Mann junior, m piquet so Worth noting Seneca
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  Speaker 1: went sixteen to three last season and returns a deep
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  Speaker 1: experience group. Stemzel average forty three point one, won the
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  Speaker 1: Tri County Conference individual title and is a three time
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  Speaker 1: state qualifier. Kronkright and Mitchell also earned all conference honors,
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  Speaker 1: with Kronkright qualifying for Sectionals. According to Eric Siston, the
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  Speaker 1: Fighting Irish have six girls that can shoot in the
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  Speaker 1: forties this year. Woodland coach Jennifer Bliss fourth season. Top
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  Speaker 1: returners Boys Noah Lopez Sr. Brayden Matsko junior, Hayden Maarsinko junior,
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  Speaker 1: Jaden Woolson Junior, Girls, Katie Bliss junior, Addison Drysdale junior,
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  Speaker 1: Worth noting the Warriors are expected to be led by
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  Speaker 1: Matsko and Lopez throughout the season. We have four returning
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  Speaker 1: players that have really improved in the off season, Bliss said,
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  Speaker 1: we are excited to see where they lead us this season.
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  Speaker 1: She said keys to her team's season center around short
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  Speaker 1: gameplay and mental toughness. I tell the kids the game
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  Speaker 1: is won or lost on the green. We need to
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  Speaker 1: clean up our short game a bit. Bliss said, We'll
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  Speaker 1: have to continue to work together to be competitive and
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  Speaker 1: be positive. Teammates Serena coach Josh Myers third season top
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  Speaker 1: returners Henrix Johnson Sr. Carter Meyer, s Ethan Stark Sr.
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  Speaker 1: Jason Johnson so Worth noting while a small group, the
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  Speaker 1: Huskers returned for four of their top golfers from last season,
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  Speaker 1: including Johnson, who was a sectional qualifier. We had very
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  Speaker 1: good leaders in Johnson, Meyer and Stark, who have had
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  Speaker 1: at least two years of varsity experience. Meyers said, we
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  Speaker 1: want to be playing our best golf at the end
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  Speaker 1: of the season and have multiple golfers qualified for sectionals.
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  Speaker 1: Newark coach Aaron hurganhon second season top returners David Ulrich Sr.
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  Speaker 1: Jimmy Kat Junior, Sean Sellier Sr. John Nicosia Junior Key,
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  Speaker 1: newcomers Carter Chelson, f R. Mitchell hadiberg fr Worth noting
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  Speaker 1: the Norsemen will have a mix of experience and youth
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  Speaker 1: this season and are expected to be led by cath
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  Speaker 1: who advanced to sectionals last season. I feel a big
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  Speaker 1: key for us will be if we can stay out
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  Speaker 1: of our own heads and shake off bad holes. Hergen
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  Speaker 1: Hahn said, we have a young team, but also have
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  Speaker 1: good upper class leadership. Earlville coach Jillian Harp first season
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  Speaker 1: top returners Aiden Browner, Sr, Bryce Marks, so Key, newcomers,
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  Speaker 1: Owen Lilly, Mason, Samson, fr Worth, noting Brooke Browder as
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  Speaker 1: a two time sectional qualifier who will lead the way
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  Speaker 1: for the Red Raiders. He had a thirty nine point
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  Speaker 1: five average last fall. Marx, Lily and Samson are also
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  Speaker 1: expected to be key contributors. Each of the players have
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  Speaker 1: experience on the course as they have been playing golf
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  Speaker 1: for several years, so that will help us to succeed
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  Speaker 1: in individual scoring. Harp said Girls coach Gillian Harp. First
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  Speaker 1: season Top returners Riley Hill, Sierra Majestic, so Key, newcomers
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  Speaker 1: Paisley Whittaker, FR, Mikayla Methsius, Fr. Sophia Sly fr Worth,
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  Speaker 1: noting Harp is in her first season coaching the Red Raiders.
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  Speaker 1: She has a young group with two returners and three freshmen.
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  Speaker 1: We are young, so we will be focusing on the
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  Speaker 1: basics this year, Harp said. We will be trying to
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  Speaker 1: go out and improve scores each round while trying to
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  Speaker 1: improve the little things that make the big difference in scores.
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  Speaker 1: So Monoch Leland Boyce coach John Corso third season opp
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  Speaker 1: returners Preston Campbell Sr. Alex Barnes, ar isaac Risch Junior,
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  Speaker 1: Elijah Werner, So, Liam Woldsoe Key, newcomer Tyler Brown, fr
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  Speaker 1: Worth noting the Bobcats return five of their six top
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  Speaker 1: scorers from last season, expected to be led by Rish
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  Speaker 1: and Werner. We hope to qualify for sectionals this year
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  Speaker 1: as a team after missing that goal by just one
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  Speaker 1: stroke last season. Corso said, we have a few really
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  Speaker 1: solid ball strikers with consistency, but patients playing the course
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  Speaker 1: and their own game and not their opposing teams. Slowing
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  Speaker 1: down and taking time on the greens will be our
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  Speaker 1: biggest keys to success. Fieldcrest coach Lisa Lindstrom ninth season.
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  Speaker 1: Top returners Olivia Bernardi Sr. Madeleine Theasfield SR. Key newcomer
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  Speaker 1: Zoe McFall, so Worth, noting Bernardi and thesefield bring veteran
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  Speaker 1: leadership to the Knights this fall. Both golfers have played
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  Speaker 1: for the past four years and have shown some amazing growth.
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  Speaker 1: Lindstrom said their strength lies in their driving. McFall makes
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  Speaker 1: the move to the varsity's line up this season, while
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  Speaker 1: fresh shaman Lilly Enwright, Lena Greskoviak, Maya Minton, Miiley Nicks,
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  Speaker 1: and Carly Sunken also will contribute. Zoe McFall shows amazing
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  Speaker 1: potential along with five freshman players who are all very
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  Speaker 1: athletic but are new to golf, Lindstrom said, Flannagan. Cornell
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  Speaker 1: Boys coach Jerry Ferris fourth season Top returners Preston Brown Sr.
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  Speaker 1: Dylan Carl's Junior, Cody Pinkerton Junior, Owen Hart so Key,
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  Speaker 1: newcomers Rhys Pelnarsh Sr. Blaine Bates Junior, Jas Fortner f R.
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  Speaker 1: Wyatt Bresner FR. Girls coach Jerry Ferris fourth season Top
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  Speaker 1: returners Claire Schneider s R. Chandler Weber Junior, Key, newcomer
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  Speaker 1: Tiagan Rich so Worth noting the Falcons return a number
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  Speaker 1: of experienced players that continue to improve, and Ferris feels
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  Speaker 1: the new players to the squad will make for a
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  Speaker 1: competitive boost. Each player will look to become more consistent
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  Speaker 1: with each part of their game. Farris said, we talk
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  Speaker 1: a lot about being a student of the game, learning
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  Speaker 1: as they play, and having fun while doing so. The
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  Speaker 1: last few years we haven't been able to compete due
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  Speaker 1: to lack of numbers and youth. Having some experience, along
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  Speaker 1: with more players who know the game, should make for
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  Speaker 1: a more competitive and fun season. Kevin Schlum, Rob Osteril,
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  Speaker 1: Josh Welch, and Bill Frescos contributed to this report.