Aug. 10—Logansport has just one starter back from last year’s top 20 team and she led the Berries in a dual meet at Lewis Cass on Wednesday.
Junior Sophia Kay shot a 2-over 38 to lead the Berries to a 182-212 win over the Kings at Logansport Golf Club.
Kay said it was her personal-best round of her high school career.
“I putted really well and obviously that saves you a lot on the golf course,” she said. “Even when you don’t hit the green you’ve got to keep in mind that an up and down is still 100% possible and I think that’s what saved my score today.”
Kay won a club championship this summer at The Golf Club at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, where her father, Matt Kay, is an assistant golf professional. Sophia also worked there this summer as they made the daily drive from Logansport.
Kay was the Berries’ No. 3 golfer on last year’s NCC championship team and on the sectional championship team two years ago. She has a bunch of new teammates this year.
“I made a lot of memories with the girls that left last year,” she said. “But we have a of freshmen on the team and obviously they still have four years of high school and that shows a lot of potential for them.”
Kay was backed by freshmen Izzy Lundy (45) and Natalie Graham (49) and sophomore Maeda Bradbury (50), who also shot a career-best round. Kate Barber added a 53, Izabella Corcoran had a 56 and Sam Baker added a 61.
“It was a great win,” Logansport coach Abby Lundy said. “It was our season low tonight. The girls all played really well — for the first day of school too. So I’m proud of them.
“Everybody’s starting to play really well after we’ve had some experience on the course this last week. Sophia is playing really well — my No. 1 is a junior. We’re a young team this year. I lost my four seniors from last year. I’m just excited to see them grow this season.”
Lundy’s daughter is a freshman on the team who recently shot an 87 on the Purdue golf course to place seventh overall at a 15-team event.
“It’s really exciting,” coach Lundy said. “It’s that mom/coach role now. I’m just excited to finally get her out here to be a part of the team.”
The Kings have a new coach this year, Amy Densborn, who is taking over for longtime coach Charlie Jones after he retired from teaching at the end of last school year. Jones is still a volunteer assistant coach for the program.
“Coach Jones has done a great job for the history of girls golf at Cass,” Densborn said. “He’s been the coach the whole time. He left me with some good golfers because all of these golfers except for Maddy Willis who is a freshman played for coach Jones. So I contribute our good start to him.”
Kendall Hlebasko continued her hot start to the season as she followed up her 40 last Friday with a 42 on Wednesday.
“It was pretty good,” she said. “I definitely had some bad shots but I came through.”
She helped herself by sinking a 7-foot putt for birdie on the par 4 eighth to put her at 4-over. She doubled the ninth to finish with a 42. She said her goal this season is to break 40.
“Kendall, she’s always real positive and I look for her scores to just keep coming down because she’s a very good golfer,” Densborn said.
Hlebasko was followed by Alisha Toops (55), Maddy Willis (56), Lindsay Landis (59) and Zabrena Cunningham (69).
“I’m pleased with how they played,” Densborn said. “They were a little fatigued today but with the start of school you’re going to have that. We’re just getting started and we’ll see where we can go from here.”
CASTON OPENS SEASON
Caston opened its season at North Judson’s Chesapeake Run Golf Course on Monday.
North Judson won with a 246, followed by DeMotte Christian (259) and Caston (279).
Ava Sylvain led Caston with a 66, followed by Jullina Sherrick (69), Shaylee Strasser (72) and Savanna Zimmerman (72).
Sherrick and Strasser are juniors who were on the team last year while Sylvain is a first-year senior golfer and Zimmerman is a first-year freshman golfer.
“Our biggest weakness is simply playing time,” Caston coach Rick Phelps said. “Ava and Savanna are in their first year of ever playing golf and Jullina is only in her second year. Our strong suit is the players’ willingness to listen to instruction and put into action what they have learned. Another strong suit this year is the addition of assistant coach Tim Strasser, Shaylee’s grandfather. Coach Strasser coached both the men and ladies Caston teams for many years and developed many fine players.
“Obviously only having four players is not ideal but it does give us a chance to win matches where last year we finished the season with three so we automatically lost the match. The ladies that I have tried to recruit think they have to be good at golf from the start, not realizing that just like any sport you can learn the game as you go along. I am confident, barring injury, that we will finish the season with four ladies and win some matches this season.”