The Press-Dispatch

August 21, 2019

The Press-Dispatch

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D-12 Fall Sports Preview Wednesday, August 21, 2019 The Press-Dispatch Variable Thereafter* SHOW YOUR SCHOOL SPIRIT and earn cash for the Pike Central Chargers with the German American Bank School Spirit Check Card * *Check card requires a German American checking account and approval of check card application. Stop by any German American Bank office to request your School Spirit Check Card today! Visit germanamerican.com for a list of participating schools. Each purchase you make will automatically earn your school $0.02, donated by German American Bank. 812-354-8404 292 W. Main St. • Petersburg ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS Petersburg: Tues. & urs 8am-5pm Jasper: Mon. & Wed, 8am-5pm Fri., 7am-2pm Plus appointments by special arrangement. WALK-INS WELCOME Most insurances accepted. Adults & Children Good Luck! to all Pike Central SPORTS TEAMS! GIRLS' GOLF Pictured above is the 2019 Pike Central girls' golf team. They are, (l to r): Grace Goodpaster, Sophie Carnahan, Madison Warner, Chloe Williams, Emma Rainey, Ellie McGuire, Hadley Holder, Sydney Boyd, Natalie Burkhart, Nevaeh Lemond, Mabry Shoultz, Sydney Loveless, and team helpers, Carly Gideon and Katie Gideon. Lady Charger golf features experience and depth By Dennis Marshall Press-Dispatch Sports Editor sports@pressdispatch.net The Pike Central girls' golf team will have a far more balanced ap- proach in 2019 after graduating one of the top players in program history. The Chargers will be without Natalie Bohnert, who won an in- dividual sectional championship last year and is the only Pike Cen- tral golfer to ever advance to the state meet. "She was a really good play- er and we will miss her a lot this year," head coach Jarrod Gideon said. "But the girls who are re- turning got to see what's possible if they put in the time, work hard and stay focused on our goals." Bohnert may now be a member of the golf and swimming teams at Southwest Minnesota State Uni- versity, but Pike Central returns three solid seniors with experi- ence and have 11 total players on the team this season. "Our biggest strength or ad- vantage is definitely our balance," Gideon said. "We don't have the one girl who is going to go out and shoot even or under-par this year, but we have a lot of girls that are capable of shooting solid scores." Gideon said that in girls' high school golf, "If you get four girls to score around 50 or better, you are going to be pretty good," and al- though the Chargers are not there yet, he believes they have the po- tential. "This year we are having to rely on team consistency," Gideon said. "The last few years we have had some absolute standout golfers. This year, we don't have that girl who can come in and shoot those outstanding scores, but we have a lot of girls who can shoot very sol- id, if they play well." Pike Central expected to be competitive in 2018, but the youth- ful team was almost caught off guard when they finished third at sectionals and advanced to the re- gional meet. This season, the Chargers aren't letting anything surprise them. The team will be led by a dynam- ic duo of seniors, Hadley Holder and Madison Warner. Both have already earned medalist honors at meets this season while help- ing the team get off to a 6 -0 start. Holder has a decent short game and is a solid all-around player. "She does everything well," Gideon said. "Not necessarily great at any one aspect, but she does everything well." Holder is known for her incred- ibly positive and cheerful person- ality. "That's probably her biggest as- set," Gideon said. "She is just full of energy and can lift her team- mates up." Warner is a little quieter, but al- so a leader in her own right. She is very intelligent, in fact, she's at the top of her class. "That tells you a lot about her character right there," Gideon said. "This is only her second year golfing, but she hits the ball very well. Her short game can be a little shaky at times, but she can shoot some really good scores when she gets that dialed in." Holder and Warner both consis- tently shoot scores (9 -hole) in the upper 40s and lower 50s. Fellow senior Emma Rainey is consistently one of the top four golfers. "She's another one of the golf- ers who's been playing really well," Gideon said. "It's pretty remark- able because she's only been play- ing golf for two years also." Rainey is a strong golfer who can hit the ball pretty far when she makes good contact. "She's pretty consistent and she has improved a lot over the course of the last year," Gideon said. "She has really gotten a lot better." Gideon said he's been pleasant- ly surprised by first-year player Sophie Carnahan. The sopho- more has finished in Pike Cen- tral's top five in every match this season. "Golf isn't a very easy game to just pick up," Gideon said. "It takes a while. It takes time. She's coor- dinated, tall and athletic, and she just hits the ball pretty solidly. She's improving her short game and, eventually, she will be a very good golfer." Sophomores Nevaeh Lemond and Sydney Loveless will have larger roles on the team this year after not playing a lot of varsity golf in 2018. "They will play more matches," Gideon said. "They both have got- ten a lot better and continue to improve. They're good kids, who work hard, and I couldn't ask for much more than that." The Chargers could also possi- bly get contributions from soph- omore Sydney Boyd and fresh- man Chloe Williams. Both are strong athletic golfers with excel- lent power. Boyd is new to golf. She hits the ball well, but as expected with any first-year player, her short game is a work in progress. The 6 -foot tall Williams has shown a lot of promise after re- turning from an injury she suf- fered during softball season. "She hits the ball really far," Gideon said. "She just doesn't have a lot of reps on the golf course yet. I see her being a very good golfer." Freshmen Grace Goodpaster, Mabry Shoultz and Ellie McGuire also join the team. All three are first-year players, but each has re- ally taken to the game. "They're getting better," Gide- on said. "They just have to keep working and their time will come. They have been real positive. They have went out there every day I have asked them to play, in the hot sun, and not complained. Good things will happen for them if they keep putting the time in." Defending PAC champion Gib- son Southern is considered by ma- ny to be the front runner to win the conference, but if things prog- ress, Gideon anticipates Pike Cen- tral could quite possibly compete for a sectional title. "I don't like ever saying where I think we should finish because I can't control what teams shoot," Gideon said. "I know what, hope- fully, we can be capable of shoot- ing and if we can do that, then it will be a good year and a success- ful season." Former Pike Central standout Natalie Burkhart will serve as as- sistant coach this season. "She's a great asset to have," Gideon said. "She knows what it takes to be successful and does a great job with the girls." This year we are having to rely on team consist- ency. The last few years we have had some abso- lute standout golfers. This year, we don't have that girl who can come in and shoot those outstanding scores, but we have a lot of girls who can shoot very solid, if they play well." -Coach Jared Gideon

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