The Little Lions boys’ varsity golfer haven’t swung the clubs much in competition during the last three years — and that’s a good thing.
Those few number of swings translated to low numbers on the scorecards, and as a result, three straight District 6 AAA championships. This year, the team is looking for number four.
Under sixth-year head coach Greg Wilson, the team compiled a 14-7 record during the limited, pandemic-effected 2020 season, which was highlighted by a 333-345 win over Hollidaysburg in the D-6 AAA championship game.
And despite the key losses of graduated seniors Jack McCaughey, who played varsity golf all four years of high school, and Austin Ehrensberger and Josh Davis, Wilson said plenty of experience remains with three returning letter winner — two of which finished 1-2 in the individual 2020 rankings.
Last season, John Olsen repeated as the D-6 AAA individual champion and he qualified for the PIAA tournament. Runner-up to Olsen was teammate Luke Janac. Maxwell Wager also lettered in 2020. They will lead the squad, which also includes Thomas Hay, Joey Sabol, AJ Corson, Tanner Mona and Leighton Smithwick.
“The players have played a lot this summer and came to tryouts ready to play,” said Wilson.
But to get to the next level and beyond, Wilson said he knows there’s still work that needs to be done.
“I think we need to work on our par 3 scoring and get more experience in competition,” said Wilson. “Because of the short season last year, we didn’t get a lot of competitive experience.”
He said with the help of assistant coach James Schaper, the team is making the proper adjustments and working hard on their game.
“We are looking forward to another successful season and returning to the district finals and hopefully winning our fourth straight title,” Wilson said. “We would like to improve on our regional play and advance the team to the state tournament.”
The Little Lions came away victorious against Altoona on Monday at Centre Hills, 497-546. Olsen shot a 5-under par 67 to lead the way, followed by Janac and Wager at 84, Sabol and Hay at 85 and Corson at 92.
Next up is a trip to Mechanicsburg on Wednesday to tee off against Cumberland Valley.
