Sweet Home has been on a quest to get back into the thick of things in golf since COVID and this could be the year it happens, for both the boys and girls.
Boys Head Coach Ron Moore and girls Head Coach Haley May both have returning experience to build around and both say they could see their teams playing at state this year.
“The kids are working a lot on their short game, which is 70% of golf,” Moore said, noting that he’s putting the finishing touches on a practice facility located behind Little Promises preschool.
Sweet Home Boys Golf
Moore lost three seniors to graduation but he has three players back from last year’s team, all of them with experience gained in the off-season, he said.
Junior Trent Harvey returns as the most experienced Husky, but Moore predicted Harvey could be feeling some pressure from improving sophomores Henry Gainer and Blaine Schuster. All put in time on the links over the summer and it’s showing, Moore said.
“Trent is playing a lot better than he did last year and Henry’s really improved,” he said. “Blayne played a lot last summer and he’s fine-tuning his swing. Now he just has to learn to manage the game of golf and that aspect.”
Joining those three are junior Thomas Culbertson, sophomore Evan Malabago and freshmen Waylon Campbell, Korbin Poirier and Talon Temple.
Sweet Home has no seniors, but the newcomers show promise, Moore said.
“All of our newer players have potential,” he said. “We’re just getting them tournament-ready.”
The Huskies opened their season on Old Mac at Bandon Dunes, a world-class course that was a new experience for most of them.
Harvey led the team with a 79, while Gainer finished with a 95 and Malabago, a newcomer to high school golf, shot 98.
“Evan played really well,” Moore said. Schuster finished with a 110.
After playing a nine-team special division last year with Marist, last year’s state runner-up, the Huskies will simply compete against Oregon West Conference this year during the regular season. They will play four league matches, the top finisher overall from those becoming the OWC’s automatic state qualifier. A district championship tournament at Tokatee in McKenzie Bridge on May 11 and 12 will determine the No. 2 seed.
Sweet Home will host the April 13 OWC tournament at Mallard Creek.
“We have a good solid four already and I’d like to have one or more of the newcomers step up to take the fifth and maybe sixth spots,” Moore said.
“I think we’ve got the squad this year, with the kids returning, to have a pretty good opportunity to make state.”
Sweet Home Girls Golf
Head Coach Haley May has five returning girls on her nine-player roster and she says her team has progressed from last year – to the point that the state championships might be within reach for the Huskies for the first time since 2019.
That was the first year a Sweet Home girls golf team has qualified for state. May herself was a 12th-place finisher at state in 2017, before heading to Corban University, where she played four years for the Warriors.
Back for Sweet Home are seniors Eleanor Larsen and Kylie Melkvik, along with juniors Isabella Wagner and Tori Victor, and sophomore Taelyn Coleman.
Joining the team for the first time are junior Aivaih Duran, sophomore Lynmikka Damag and freshmen Ava Murry and Caira Erspamer.
The newcomers have brought energy and excitement to the team – and potential, May said.
“I would say Mikka and Caira have pretty natural swings, which is fun to watch.”
Plus, the Huskies who come with experience got more of it during the off-season, she said.
“It may not have made a difference in their scores a ton, but it’s definitely made a difference in their course etiquette and course management,” the coach said. “They’re making smarter decisions and taking care of the course. They’re not like the annoying group of teenagers in front of you. You know, they’re starting to be respectful of the people around them and understand the golf etiquette a lot more.”
Although the numbers aren’t there yet, May said her team is improving “a ton.”
“Just their willing willingness to learn and change things and get better has been a huge improvement,” she said. “I think that we have Tori’s swing starting to get dialed in, which is great.”
Coleman, she said, also has big potential. “I think that we’ve just got to get her scores lowered.”
The girls will host a District 3 match featuring on April 13 at Mallard Creek, and then will also host the district championship tournament May 4-5, also at Mallard Creek. State comes the week after that, with the top two district teams and any individuals not already on those teams who finish in the top five, qualifying.
May said things are moving faster than she expected coming into the season.
“I think that, based on their performances already, and we only get out on the course once or twice a week, I think there’s a slight chance that it is very possible they could surprise everybody.
“I’m excited.”