Scott Swanson
Golf Head Coach Pat Davis has a problem.
He’s overloaded with players.
“We have 18 boys,” Davis said last week, before two more joined the team. “That’s absolutely unheard-of.”
Golf coaches, unlike some other sports in which players compete as individuals as well as a team, such as wrestling, track, cross-country and swimming, generally try to keep their rosters to 10 players – a varsity and a JV team – if they even have that kind of turnout.
Of course, for Davis, it’s really a good problem and these numbers could portend a bright future for Sweet Home golf if the current group perseveres in the sport, particularly since the vast majority of the team are freshmen, who have all played other sports.
“They’re athletic,” Davis said. “They show a lot of athletic potential. So I’m not going to cut anybody.
“I’m probably insane.”
On the girls side, the Huskies are also in good shape – really, the best they’ve been for years. Davis has seven girls, led by juniors Haley May and Alayna Davis, who were key in Sweet Home’s fifth-place finish in the league last year, a historic finish in itself since it had been years since the Huskies had enough girls to even field a team at districts.
May was Sweet Home’s most successful golfer last year, finishing third individually at district.
May finished 21st out of 50 girls at state, shooting a 92 on Day 2 to move up 11 spots. Davis narrowly missed qualifying for state with an 11th-place finish at district.
Also back is sophomore Nichole Grady, who was on last year’s district team as well, for whom districts was the first varsity tournament of her career.
Joining them are four freshmen, Katen Edwards, Rebekah Fassler, Lexi Schilling and Brook Womack. Edwards, Fassler and Schilling all have experience in other high school sports as well.
“Our four freshmen are all very, very raw,” Pat Davis said. “Teamwise, I’m looking for a lot of them to step up. If one of them could be where Nichole was last year, shooting 110, 115, I think we should be able to go to state as a girls team.
On the boys side, the Huskies will be led by juniors Jake Hindmarsh and Seth Wright, both of whom were solid varsity contributors last year. The other returnee from last year is sophomore Jackson Lynn.
“Jake Hindmarsh plays a lot of golf,” Davis said. “He’s separated himself. He’s clearly our No. 1 golfer now. He will be right in the mix for an individual state bid. I expect him to be among the top five kids in league.
“Seth Wright was hot and cold last year, but he’s got a ton of potential. I’m hoping for him to become a consistent No. 2.”
Lynn, he said, has not played much since last season.
“I don’t know where he’ll fall, because I’ve got so many other kids,” Davis said. “Early on, he’ll probably be there because he’s a two-year player. But he’s going to have to fight for a varsity position.”
Then there’s the newcomers: seniors Sean Wolthuis and Nick McIntyre, juniors Daniel Batcheler and Bryce Nichols, and freshmen Lane Barstad, Kai Bryson, Kolton Hanson, Davin Guzman, Nich James, Jasper Korn, Austen Miller, Tye Moore, Colton Pickett, Jackson Royer, Carson Smith, Travis Thorpe and Payton Ulrich.
“In a week and a half of practice, we have five or six who are going to be fighting for spots 4 or 5 or maybe 3, 4 or 5,” Davis said. “That many kids is a problem. But it’s a good problem to have. That’s how you build a program. We just have to get five or six of those kids to step up.”
Davis will be assisted once again by Allan May, who handled the girls team in particular last year.
He said the boys Special District 2, in which Sweet Home competes with Cascade, Cottage Grove, Junction City, Newport, North Marion, Sisters, Stayton and Sutherlin/Oakland is “wide open.”
Sutherlin, which was a state team qualifier along with Junction City and Cottage Grove, “has a bunch of guys coming back who went to state last year.”
Junction City has only five players and Cottage Grove has lost some seniors.
“Sisters came on late, but we won’t see them much on this side of mountains,” he said. “I don’t know how they can practice with all the snow on the courses up there.”
Individual district champion Seth Bolton of Junction City has graduated, but Stayton sophomore Evan Massena is back after qualifying as a freshman for state last year.
“I don’t know how much he’ll be able to carry the Stayton team,” Davis said.
“I don’t know where we stack up,” he said. “Having three guys coming back is good.”
It’s an open door for Sweet Home, particularly the freshmen thronging in to play a sport that could last the rest of their lives.
“How many people get to play football, basketball, baseball after high school?” Davis asked. “A kid who starts this year and takes it seriously could be a state player by their junior or senior season.”
The boys opened their season at Mallard Creek Tuesday. The girls opened their season at Pineway Monday.