By: Dave Faries, Editor
There are several reasons why Mexico’s golfers and coaches are looking forward to the spring season. And they can be summed up in a few words: depth, youth and promise.
A crop of 26 signed up to golf for the Bulldogs, a figure that has head coach Timothy Schoonover excited.
“That’s huge,” he said. “That means we can progress them through.”
In other words, Mexico can field a squad that is in tournament form while the others develop their game. And that’s where youth comes into play.
“From last year to this I see a lot of improvement,” observed Grant Qualls, one of the veteran golfers. “We have a lot of incoming talent.”
One of the promising new additions to the Bulldogs’ lineup is freshman Aidan Knipfel. He’s the younger brother of four time girls state qualifier Lilly Knipfel, who is heading to the Columbia College golf team after graduation. And the younger Knipfel has equal aspirations.
“The goal is to make state and shoot in the low 40s, maybe high 30s,” he said.
Up and down the roster this anticipation is evident. While tournament play was scratched by the pandemic a year ago, Tyler Scheiner points out that he and the others put down time to good use, golfing individually throughout the summer.
“The team will be better,” noted Geoffrey Penn. “We have some good potential.”
And there’s one more word that defines team. They are eager.
“I’m ready,” said Jake Haines. “We’ve waited too long.”
Van-Far learning as they go
Haley Baskett shrugs at the loss of high school’s 2020 golf season.
“I was out with an injury anyway,” she explained.
Baskett is a junior with just one year of varsity golf on her resume. Yet she has assumed the role of Van-Far’s leader on the course, according to head coach Melissa Orr.
The coach is relying on her talent and character to help the rest of the Van-Far squad improve. It’s a small group -- just four golfers -- and two freshmen are new to the game.
Because of this, Baskett downplays expectations for the 2021 campaign. The challenges of golf can be frustrating, especially for rookies to competitive play.
“I expect us to come in with an open mind,” she said.
Van-Far is also one of the few boys golf teams with an all girls roster.
“This is a learning year,” Orr said.
