SS golfers set sights on making 5A state tourney
Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/hl/Lifestyles/25273/
Little Texas, a country-music group in the late 1990 s, featured a hit song, First Time for Everything.
According to Siloam Springs head golf coach Brian Matchell, the same can be said for the outlook of the Panthers during the 2008 fall season.
We have three solid returnees on the boys team that hopefully can carry us to state, and our girls finally have a team for the first time in five years, Matchell said. It should be an exciting next two months.
Matchell, who coaches both the boys and girls golf teams, expects seniors Matt Johnson and Coleson Rakestraw, as well as junior Don Voss to lead the Panthers back to the Conference 5 A State Tournament, a place the team hasnt been too in quite some time.
Johnson experienced the state tournament as an individual in 2007, and according to Matchell, hes been playing pretty consistent this summer.
Matt has won several tournaments in the past couple of months, including his recent one in Harrison, Matchell said. Were ex- GOLF
He will definitely be a good addition to our team. With those three, we will need a couple others step up in order to make a long run.
Matchell expects help from senior Ben Onnen, as well as junior Dustin Chamberlain and sophomore Jackson McKinnon.
Also looking to compete for a spot on the Panthers team are freshmen Eric Schneider and Andrew Snodgrass.
On the girls side, the Lady Panthers welcome back one state tournament returnee in junior Brittany Crawley, but the expectations remain high for a team that has three freshmen waiting in the wings.
According to Matchell, I like the willingness of this group and their attitude of not giving up even when they make mistakes.
Crawley and junior Savannah Seliga will be joined by freshmen Emery Rakestraw, Courtney Cooksey and Jessica Glass this fall.
Its good to finally be able to field a team, Matchell said. The more and more these girls play and compete, their chances of getting better is going to rise.
Both teams opened the fall season Tuesday afternoon at the Springdale Invitational, and according to Matchell, its too early to make any predictions, but the kids are having fun.
Siloam Springs will compete in the Harber Invitational on Thursday at Stonebridge Meadows in Fayetteville, followed by a tournament against Bentonville on Aug. 11 (Monday ) at Bella Vista Country Club.
The first Conference 5 A tournament will be Aug. 28 against Greenwood at Vache-Grasse. pecting great things from him this fall.
Voss, on the other hand, has erupted into a sleeping giant, with his success this summer at the AJGA State Tournament.
The sky is literally the limit for Don (Voss ), Matchell said.
Hes been playing phenomenally well. Its amazing to see how far he has come in just the past four or five months.
Along with Johnson and Voss, Rakestraw brings a wealth of knowledge onto the team, including state championship experience as a member of the 2008 Panthers basketball team.
Coleson is Mr. Whatever we need, Matchell said.