It is a game where every stroke matters; just ask the Oconto Falls High School boys golf team.
The Panthers finished the WIAA Division 2 regional last season a single stroke behind Bonduel, finishing in fifth place and missing sectionals.
Four of the five golfers from that team are back this year, including Jacob Stoinski, a junior who qualified for sectionals last season.
That experience should go a long way in helping the Panthers establish themselves as one of the better teams in the Bay Conference and ultimately reach its sectional goal.
“I don’t see any reason we shouldn’t be competitive in our regional,” new coach Scott Schroeder said. “We have a good chance of qualifying for our sectional. They didn’t make it by a stroke last year. They didn’t play their best there, sadly.”
Also returning are seniors Kyle Fiedler, a Bay Conference honorable mention last season, and James Salscheider, as well as junior Jordon Koppa.
“The varsity team, most of the guys have three years of varsity experience,” Schroeder said. “It’s going to be hard to remove them, but they are definitely being pushed.”
A trio of sophomores — Nathan Brauer, Ben Stoinski and Issac Steffens — are providing that pressure.
“There’s seven or eight guys fighting for those five spots,” Schroeder said. “There’s a lot of young sophomores that are ready to push some of those seniors. They are making them better.”
Schroeder, a graduate of OFHS who teaches second grade at Abrams Elementary School, takes over the team from coach Ben Pytleski. For the last 12 years, Schroeder has spent his summers as a caddy at Whistling Straits Golf Course.
“Golf has been my sport for the last decade or better,” Schroeder said. “I was always a recreational golfer before then.”
He said growing up just a few miles from Sandalwood Golf Course in Abrams, where the team has been practicing this spring, gives him knowledge of the local courses he can use to help his players.
“I grew up playing all of these courses,” he said. “It’s fun to be back at Sandalwood.”
The team played through a brief downpour Monday and has been battling the weather all spring. With the recent climb in temperatures, it seems as if the golf season will finally get under way, including a tough meet for the Panthers on Saturday at Crystal Springs Golf Course in Seymour.
“There’s a very competitive meet on Saturday, mostly bigger schools than us,” he said. “We’ll find out where we’re at really early in the season, which is kind of nice. Really, we’re just building toward sectionals throughout the spring.”
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