The Panther golf team came swinging into its fall season hard in mid-August. With only 3 days of preseason practice before the first competition, little time was given to make early adjustments.
“The kids really have to spend time golfing during the summer if we want to have a successful team,” stated Troy Hildebrand, the Panthers’ head coach. And that is just what the team did.
The Panthers emerged from the state competition with success. The boys team placed 5th at state and 3rd in the West Conference. Coach Hilderand stated, “We had a really good season, it was actually the 3rd year in a row where we’ve dramatically improved. We went from thirteenth (out of fourteen), to tenth, and to fifth this year.” On the other hand, for lack of numbers, the girls did not take a full team to the competitions. However, Saige Smith and Alyssa Hildebrand, the only girls on the golf team, both attained All-Conference titles on the girls’ side and demonstrated elite skills at state with Smith placing 13th.

Coach Hildebrand also commented on the loss of two senior boys and one girl, but states that “We have a good number of returning players with JV or Varsity experience so it looks like we’ll maintain some of the positive things we had this year.” One of the returning players for the 2010 fall golf season will be freshma Bowen Prestwich, who participated on the JV squad for the 2009 season. Prestwich began golfing when he was just 7 years old due to a common family interest. When asked about his first season participating in high school athletics, Prestwich nonchalantly remarked, “Huh. I don’t know. I think I did pretty well for being a freshman.”
Done with her high school athletic career is senior Saige Smith, who looks back on her years of golf with positive memories. As a freshman and sophomore, Smith contributed to the Panther’s volleyball program, yet set her sites on golf as a junior and senior. “Golf sounds pretty lame, but you meet some cool people along the way,” says Smith as she recalls her last season as a Panther golfer.

Although the season may be a quick one, the Panther golf team emerged successful as a result of hours and hours on the course. Overall, the team competed well and continues with their improvement. Though they may be losing a few Panthers, the future for the Powell golf team is bright.