Scott Swanson
A year ago, Sweet Home’s golfers were preparing for their opening match when – well, we all know what comes next: their season was abruptly canceled by the coronavirus.
Now, 13 months later the Huskies are back, with some new faces but missing some older, to play a short six-week season that will include several matches with other Special District 2 teams, opening Wednesday, April 14 , at Mallard Creek.
The Huskies’ sole senior this year is Maren Weld, who is in her fourth year of girls golf. They also have two newcomers, freshmen Chet Garrett and Jacob Silvers.
Returning as well are juniors Joseph Hiemenz, Dakota Melkvik and Carsen Perry, and sophomore Morgan Sands, and joining Weld on the girls side, Bailey Womack.
“We’re gonna be young,” Moore said. “We’re going to be inexperienced. Really, nobody’s played in a match yet, and so it’s going to be interesting in our first match, at Mallard Creek. It’ll be a pretty good-sized match.”
The Huskies did get some practice sessions and rounds in last fall, said Coach Ron Moore, who took over the team last spring but hasn’t seen the Huskies play a real interscholastic match.
“We practiced a lot and they got some extra golf last year.”
Teams scheduled to participate in the opener include Cottage Grove, Cascade, Stayton and Junction City for the boys, and Cascade, Junction City and Cottage Grove for the girls.
Moore said the boys have five matches scheduled, and three for the girls thus far in a schedule that will be subject to change. He’s also working with Lebanon to schedule some JV matches.
The good news for Sweet Home is that, other than the freshmen, everyone on the roster has played high school golf.
“Morgan Sands and Carsen Perry are probably my top two right now, with Dakota Melkvik right behind them and Joe right there too,” Moore said of the boys. “He’s pretty good too.”
He said the Huskies probably won’t be a force at the district or state level this year, “but I think if they put in the work, even though it’s a short season, it’ll pay off for next year. Hopefully, I will have all four of them back for their senior season of golf.”
For the girls, both Womack and Weld are experienced, having both played at the state level, as the Huskies qualified as a team for the first time in history in 2019.
“Bailey is going to be pretty good and Maren is our only senior. She worked really hard last fall and really improved her game.”
So we’re probably not going to compete at the district and state level this year but I think if they put in the work, even though it’s a short season it’ll pay off for next year. So hopefully I have all four of them back for their senior year golf.