The weather is getting warmer, the grass is getting greener, and the Lewis Cass golf team is preparing for a new season. Led by head coach Terry Miley and five seniors, the Kings have plenty of experience and skill to win a second sectional title for this group of seniors. All of the seniors and Coach TJ Miley were asked questions regarding the upcoming season and their careers at Lewis Cass.
Coach Miley is excited for this season and is optimistic about winning another sectional. When asked, Miley responded, “Absolutely. We are bringing back four out of five players from last year’s sectional team and replacing the last spot with a four-year player. Our varsity squad will have a ton of experience in competition, which will hopefully put us in a position to compete for a sectional title. There are a few other schools in our sectional that are also returning many players from last year’s team, so it won’t be easy, but I do believe we are capable of winning.” Miley was also asked what improvements he is excited to see or hopes to make. He responded, “As a coach, you are always excited to see your players develop from season to season. I’m excited to see what our upperclassmen are able to do after being in the program for two to three years. We had a successful season last year, but were only able to win one tournament. I’d like to see this year’s team end that drought and win a tournament or two this season.”
The first senior the Courier Interviewed is James “Michael” Myers. He was asked about his personal goals for himself and the team this season. Myers responded, “I feel like I’m bringing over a lot of positive momentum from last season, as I finally became comfortable in a leadership position within the team. This year, I plan to continue pushing my scores lower and lower through better course preparation and course management. As a team, I believe we can use our experience to our advantage, where we can definitely have the ability to compete for some hardware.” Michael’s favorite memory from his high school golf career was from his freshman year when the team won the sectional. He said, “It’s not necessarily one lone memory, but the satisfaction of how our hard work over the entire season paid off. Having achieved this has given me the confidence to return to Rock and believe we can win another one (sectional).” Michael plans to continue his golfing career at Hanover College, where he is excited for the opportunities to travel, the ability to compete, and the friendships he hopes to make along the way.
The next senior is Brody Hillis. When Hillis was asked about his goals for the season, he said, “My personal goals for this season are to not have a nine-hole round above 43 and to not have an eighteen-hole round above 88. I would be happy if our team does better than our previous two years at regional.” Brody is undecided about his future in golf; Hillis is thinking about committing to play for the Grizzlies of Franklin College.
Next up is Matt Minnick. Who hopes to, and is very capable of earning the fourth varsity spot on the lineup. Matt said, “My personal goals are to keep all of my nine-hole matches under a 43 and all of my eighteen-hole matches under an 88. I think our team is very capable of winning a sectional.
The fourth senior is Trey Johnson. When Trey was asked about his favorite memory from golf, he did not have a specific moment but instead said, “My favorite memory is probably just being a four-year JV demon and having fun.” Hopefully, Trey will not be a JV player this year and will get the fifth spot on varsity. Trey said, “I started playing golf because it looked easy, and it turned out to be really easy.”
Our final senior is Harrison Clark. He was asked what his personal goals for the season are. Clark said, “I’d like to play well enough to place at a few tournaments.” He was also asked how he would need to improve his shot distances this season, since he is known to be a shorter hitter, and Clark said that he does not really care how far he hits the ball.
The Lewis Cass boys’ golf team is feeling confident heading into the new season, led by Coach Miley and a group of seniors with varsity experience. With most of last year’s varsity team returning, they believe they have a good chance to win another sectional title. The seniors have set goals to improve their scores and help the team succeed. Overall, the team is focused, experienced, and ready to compete for a strong season.
