The Trojans lost two golfers from last year’s squad, but gained three new players, pushing their roster to eight players, the largest team coach Matt Harner has had during his tenure at Southeastern.
“It’ll be really, really fun to see how everybody fits in and how we can grow and develop our golf skills as individuals and as a group,” Harner said.
The squad includes senior Hope Manning, last season’s Ohio Heritage Conference Player of the Year who led the league in scoring.
The senior spent the summer working hard on her game at their home course Locust Hills and played in several junior tournaments, Harner said.
“She’d be out there chipping and putting,” Harner said. “There were several times I was out there playing myself and she was there, too. She’s just kind of a different breed of person and golfer. She’s always looking to grow her game in a positive way.”
Last season, Manning was sectional runner-up at WGC Golf Course in Xenia, shooting an 85 as the Trojans qualified for districts as a team. She finished sixth at the D-II district tournament with an 80 at PipeStone, four strokes back from a berth to the state tournament.
She hopes to go out with a bang by qualifying for the state tournament, Harner said. Manning’s brother, Avery Green, was a three-time state qualifier for the Trojans who finished as state runner-up as a senior in 2017.
“We’ve talked about taking one match at a time, but that’s her dream,” Manning said.
She’s joined by several strong golfers, including juniors Layni Bonifay and Brooklyn Weller.
The Trojans are off to a strong start. They won the Clark County Tournament on Aug. 10 with Manning, Weller and Bonifay all making first team All-Clark County. On Aug. 8, Manning was medalist with a 74 as the Trojans were runner-up at the first Southeastern Invitational at Locust Hills.
The Trojans will battle with several teams for the OHC title this year, including defending champion Fairbanks and Mechanicsburg. They hope to win a league title and return to the D-II districts, but Harner and his team’s focus is taking it one match at a time.
“You can’t look too far into it even as a coach,” he said.
FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Hope Manning, Southeastern: The senior, last year’s OHC Player of the Year, was medalist at the recent Clark County Tournament with a 38.
Abbey Kittles, Springfield: The senior earned All-GWOC second team honors last fall.
Taylor Rausch, Mechanicsburg: The senior earned All-OHC first team last season.
Emma Shaffer, Kenton Ridge: The sophomore earned All-CBC Kenton Trail Division second team honors last season.
Brooklyn Weller, Southeastern: The junior was an All-OHC second team selection last season.
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