Last year, the Redmond High girls’ golf team was considered relatively raw and inexperienced.
Having graduated four seniors that made the state cut the year before, the expectations were realistically lowered for a squad that needed unproven players to step up in order to contend.
They did that and then some, including a final-round rally at the 4A state tournament that saw them vault up the leaderboard to place fourth.
And the best news of all?
Everyone is back, which makes the 2011 Mustangs as deep as any golf program in the state.
“We have a lot of balance, 11 kids that can shoot in the 40s,” said head coach Jake Crowley. “Keira O’Hearn is playing real well, as is Kelly Kennewick, our No. 1 scorer. We have more kids in the 40s at Bear Creek (Country Club and golf course) than we’ve ever had pre-season.”
LOADED LINEUP
While posting a sub-50 total for nine holes is not easy at the challenging country club layout the Mustangs call home, Redmond’s focus this season has been on the short game.
“We did a team trip to Palm Desert and did a golf school there – chipping, wedges around the greens, putting,” Crowley recalled. “We’re also doing a fitness program at the PRO Sports Club, making them feel good about themselves and working on their bodies, getting flexible with good posture and strength.”
In addition to Kennewick and O’Hearn, two of the team’s consistent medalists throughout the league season, look for contributions from the senior trio of Stephanie Schoeppel, who Crowley believes was the most-improved player in the league in 2010, as well as Carley Kalina and Makayla Walker, who will each be looking to punch their first state tournament ticket.
Leading the way into the Mustangs’ future will be sweet-swinging freshman Casie Helgeson.
“She is currently our No. 5, she’s been a pleasant surprise,” said Crowley of Helgeson. “Walker, a state alternate two years ago, is really stepping up. She’s someone we’re really counting on.”
STREAKING TO VICTORY
The Mustangs’ program is perhaps best known for its incredible Kingco league winning streak, which is currently at 78 straight matches dating back to 2003 against Woodinville.
To put it in perspective, the last time the Mustangs were defeated, all of the team’s current players were in early grade school and many of them had not even picked up a golf club yet.
While Crowley is a firm believer that things like “The Streak” will take care of themselves if the Mustangs simply focus on their own business, the players will do everything in their power to not have the streak broken on their watch.
“We have a lot riding on our shoulders,” said Kennewick. “I have complete faith in our girls – we’ve played under pressure, we can handle it. We can keep it alive.”
The Mustangs had a couple close calls last year including when Newport took it to the Mustangs at Newcastle, the Knights’ home course. In that contest, which went down to the final putt, Redmond pulled out a one-stroke victory thanks in part to the round of a lifetime by O’Hearn, who fired a 1-under 35.
It’s that same exact match this season, which takes place on Thursday, April 28, that Crowley has circled on his calendar.
“That match at Newcastle, I think that will decide the Kingco Championship,” he said. “Newport’s the key… (they’ve) got four kids that can shoot in the low 40s or high 30s, and three returning state players that made the cut at state.”
While Newport appears to be the Mustangs only real challenger for the league title this year, with Eastlake also on the radar, the team realizes that this year might be the program’s best chance to bring home a state title.
“We’ll definitely have a shot,” Crowley noted. “Especially if we can get two kids to go low and have the rest of them make the cut.”
Kennewick, who has made the cut and placed 20th at state in each of the last two years, agreed.
“This is definitely the deepest team we’ve ever had,” she said. “This year, we’re here to do some damage. We definitely have a shot to win state. That’s our potential, all of our girls have it in them to score low.”
