The 2021-22 high school sports season gets underway this week and golf is the first sport to step into the competitive spotlight.
Unlike other sports that have a mandated number of practice days by the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission prior to starting competitive play, golf hits the ground running almost immediately.
“We have one day of practice on Aug. 2 and then we start playing the next day,” Woodrow Wilson golf coach Butch Freeman said. “I guess where the kids have been playing over the summer, they don’t look at it the same way.”
Woodrow Wilson is coming off a strong season in 2020 and is hoping to carry that momentum into the 2021 campaign.
arLast year the Flying Eagles qualified for the state tournament by finishing second at the Class AAA Region 3 tournament before finishing third overall in the team competition.
“That was the best Woodrow Wilson had finished in many years. Wheeling Park won playing on its home course and George Washington finished second. I thought the kids did really well,” Freeman said.
While Woodrow Wilson returns a strong core led by senior Zan Hill and sophomore Jonah Wilson, it will have one big hole to fill with the graduation of longtime standout Mary Denny.
Denny will be teeing it up for Concord University this season as a freshman.
“Mary was our rock,” Freeman said. “She was a great influence on the other players and a really solid player. I have had several coaches and parents comment on Mary the last few seasons about how well she conducted herself.”
Hill is coming off a strong junior season in which he was the driving force in Woodrow’s state tournament run. He finished fourth overall in the individual competition to earn all-state honors.
The young standout also finished sixth at the WV Jr. Amateur last month and is currently playing in the 102nd WV Amateur being held at The Greenbrier Resort.
“He played quite well and made a hole-in-one on the final day,” Freeman said. “It was the first time that had happened in years, if ever, at the state tournament. Zan may miss our first couple of matches because of the Amateur, but I hope he plays really well. I am really happy for him”
Wilson’s play as a freshman opened many eyes which included a strong 16th place finish at the state tournament.
“Jonah was really solid last year. He really helped us get to the state tournament with some great rounds,” Freeman said.
Returning players joining Hill and Wilson will be seniors Tucker Lambert and Andrew McKinney.
McKinney also plays on the Flying Eagles basketball team and Lambert will be splitting time between golf and football.
While Hill is the younger brother of former Flying Eagles standout, Jackson Hill, Woodrow has another sibling connection this year. Aly Denny will be playing her second season of high school golf at Woodrow.
“She has a lot of talent and just needs some experience. She can really bust a drive out there” Freeman said. “She has played in several of the West Virginia Golf Association events on the Callaway Junior Tour.”
The newcomer to the team will be freshman Ian Thompson who has impressed Freeman over the summer.
“I have seen Ian out here all summer working on his game and I think he will fall right in there and be one of our top four players this year,” Freeman said. ” I think he will be a lot like Jonah last year who stepped in and did a great job for us.”
To qualify as a team for the state tournament, Woodrow Wilson has to finish as one of the top two teams at the Region 3 tournament scheduled for Sept. 28 at Berry Hills Country Club in Charleston.
Region 3 includes Capital, Â George Washington, Greenbrier East, Oak Hill, Princeton, Riverside, South Charleston and St. Albans.
“I think our region is the toughest in the state, but with our top two players back and the possibility of two others playing really well, it gives us a shot at it,” Freeman said. “I have a very solid core and I am really happy with the kids I have out this year. They have really good attitudes and are very well-behaved kids. They have good etiquette and are very courteous. It is great to have kids like that to work with.”
If Woodrow is to make a run at the state championship this year, Freeman feels last year’s experience is vital to his team’s chances.
“The experience of being at the state tournament makes a great deal of difference,” Freeman said. “The course is very tough and requires a lot of local knowledge. Having been there before really helps. It makes you want to go back. I told them we finished third last year, let’s go back and win it all.”
Woodrow Wilson kicks off the season with matches Tuesday and Wednesday on the Cobb Course at Glade Springs before playing in the Capital City Classic at Edgewood Country Club Thursday in Charleston.
The state tournament will be held Oct. 5-6 on the Speidel Golf Course at Oglebay Park in Wheeling.