More MC golf wins likely

The 2009 school year may have just started, but some students have already gotten back into the swing of things. The Madison County Mountaineer golf squad has been hitting courses for weeks and is already well into the season.

Despite the fact that the team lost its two leading scorers to graduation, Coach Gary Honaker is optimistic about the roster. Six players, senior Casey Campbell, sophomores Jake Sadler and Travis Warren, freshmen Jack Kemp and Josh O’Donnell, and eighth grader Bobby Ford, are all stepping up to fill their predecessor’s cleats.

Many of the team’s veteran players are setting examples for the newcomers. Players such as Kyle Davis, Collin Tucker, Luke Crouthamel, Kevin Wells, and Ryan Taylor bring their honed skills to the greens and continue to perform. The Mountaineers have also been suffering from the absence of Hunter Preddy due to injury, but his recent recovery should mean good things for the Madison team.

Preddy is already closing the gap from his absence with a low game score of 90. Josh Honaker leads the group with a low game of 84, while Casey Campbell and Kyle Davis follow closely with 85 and 88 respectively.

Because the high school golf season always starts earlier than the seasons for other fall sports, the MCHS gold squad has already played a few matches. So far, the Mountaineers have a 2-5 record, but Coach Honaker cites the team’s steadily improving scores and expects more wins in the future. Whatever the score, players hardly seem discouraged. Honaker relays that the golfers “get along very well and encourage one another. Several players who have not qualified to play in matches have walked along with the competing golfers for support.”

In fact, the team’s win at Strasburg could be contributing significantly to morale. Historically, the Mountaineers have struggled on that course, so to bring home a 184-187 win was a validation of their hard work.

With the season part way over, Honaker hopes to get the team prepared for the upcoming district tournament in order to qualify for the regional.

SCHEDULE
4 p.m. Sept. 3 – Madison County visits Greene County’s William Monroe.
4 p.m. Sept. 8 – Madison County hosts Manassas Park.
4 p.m. Sept. 10 – Madison County visits Luray.
4 p.m. Sept. 15 – Madison County hosts Strasburg.
4 p.m. Sept. 17 – Madison County visits Fluvanna County.
4 p.m. Sept. 22 – Madison County visits George Mason.
10 a.m. Sept. 29 – Bull Run District match. Location TBA.

– Source: Phil Warren