Strength is in seniors for Wildcat golf
March 19, 2008
By Ryan Piersol
When the Mount Si girls golf team tees off in its season opener Monday, there will be a plethora of things for head coach Mike Johnston to worry about.
In fact, there are really only two things he need not brood over – Katie Somers and Jen Sanford.
The two are not only the Wildcats’ lone seniors, they’re also each returning state qualifiers and one of the better 1-2 punches in the state.
It’s always a fortunate thing to have such talent playing the top two spots. But on a team where everyone else is either freshmen, sophomores or juniors just learning the game, Somers and Sanford have become crucial.
“It really helps the team a lot to have two returning players like them at the top,” said Johnston, “and we’re going to ride them right to the end of the season.”
Somers is entering a much-anticipated senior season after three top-10 state finishes in her previous three seasons. The Boise State signee was a state runner-up both as a freshman and a junior and has spent much of the past season refining her game, even winning some local AJGA events.
Johnston said her goal for the season, aside from winning state, is to average under par. She shot right at par with a nine-hole 36 in a preseason Jamboree with Newport and Cedarcrest last week.
“She’s been pretty good overall, but has managed to refine her game a little bit,” Johnston said. “She’s worked a lot on her short game, but that was pretty good already.”
Sanford shot an 87 last spring at the Sea-King District Tournament to qualify for state.
After the two seniors, there are four juniors in Katherine Jamerson, Annie Englund, Amanda Orcutt and Ashsa Morrill. Sophomore Gabby Rader is currently occupying the No. 3 spot on the team, while freshmen Julie Dorn and Maggie Robinson are competing for varsity spots after playing in the middle-school program.
Mount Si expects to better its 3-5 league finish from a year ago. To do so, some of the more inexperienced players may need to improve quickly – a concept that isn’t unrealistic.
“It’s going to be a little tough,” Johnston said. “Some of these teams are bringing in a lot more experience than us, but hopefully we’ll do better than last season. We expect to do better.”
Comments
Got something to say?
Before you comment, please note:
- These comments are moderated.
- Comments should be relevant to the topic at hand and contribute to its discussion.
- Personal attacks and/or excessive profanity will not be tolerated and such comments will not be approved.
- This is not your personal chat room or forum, so please stay on topic.
