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GODFREY - The Edwardsville girls golf team got off to a great start in their 2020 season by finishing in a first-place tie with O'Fallon at the Alton Scramble/Shamble tournament Saturday afternoon at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Godfrey.
The Tigers tied with the Panthers in the six-team field, with both sides shooting a 207, with Belleville East coming in third at 234. the homestanding Redbirds placing fourth with a 242, Collinsville finishing fifth with a 249. and Highland placing sixth at 283.
The Edwardsville pairing of juniors Grace Daech and Nicole Johnson were the individual champions at a seven-under par 64 on the par 71 course at Rolling Hills, while the team of junior Riley Lewis and freshman Caitlyn Dicks came in second with a six-under par 65. It was a very solid performance by all four Edwardsville pairs in a fun and festive atmosphere despite the hot weather.
"Oh, absolutely," said Edwardsville coach Libby Koonce. "This is a fun old tournament we play in every year, coach (Carey) Cappel does a great job in putting it on, and this is something that gives the girls something fun to come out and do, we get to meet some of the new players on the other teams. We're going to be seeing O'Fallon a lot this year, we're going to be see Belleville East a lot this year, Alton hopefully quite a bit."
When told that the tournament was the first high school sporting event held in Metro-East since March, when the COVID-19 pandemic first began to hit the state, Koonce had a fun reaction to it.
"Oh man, are we the first sporting event since March?," Koonce said with a big laugh. "That's a pretty cool thing."
In a serious note, Koonce is very happy that the Tigers, along with the other teams in the state, will be able to have their season after decisions made by Illinois High School Association allowed sports to resume.
"Absolutely," Koonce said. "We were, of course, nervous at the end of July what was going to happen to golf. Were we going to get moved, were we going to get cancelled? And it was really exciting to hear when (the IHSA) announced that we were not only going to have our season, but have a regular length season at our regular time. So, just really awesome."
It's not only a big relief to Koonce, but to her players as well.
"Oh definitely," Koonce said. "So, I got the E-mail about the IHSA's decision that day, and then I texted it out. And then, they were telling me stories about how they reacted when I saw them in person the first time after that. Grace told me she literally screamed in the car, they were all doing happy dances and stuff, so it was really great."
Koonce believes that the Tigers will be a solid team this year, with much experience and youth. It all starts with senior Riley Burns, who recently signed a letter-of-intent to play at Central Methodist University, and the roster includes many juniors who have experience as well.
"Absolutely," Koonce said. "So, we've got Riley Burns and Sydney Weedman as seniors, and we've got so many juniors on our team. We've got three years of golf under their belts, and they're out there, they're pumped and they're ready to roll. A sophomore, with Nicole Johnson having her second year of golf, and we're bringing in our new freshmen; we've got Caitlyn Dicks and Sophia Renkin out here today. So, it's really awesome. We're building a great team, we've got them kind of spread out, we're going to be strong again next year, so it's going to be good."
The junior class includes Daech, Lewis and Bailey Vorachek, and they help make the Tigers a very good team that will compete for honors during the season. As far as expectations for the season, Koonce keeps things very simple and easy.
"I can't make expectations because I don't know where my postseason's going," Koonce said with a hearty laugh. "(A reporter) keeps calling us COVID region champs, so if that what it comes to, and that's all we do, I'll be super proud and super happy we at least got a season in. But you better believe I want to play some October golf this year. I want to play regionals, I want to play sectionals, and I absolutely want to take these girls to Decatur and have a good showing at state this year."
But no matter what, it's a relief to Koonce and her team that the season is going to be played, and the Tigers hope for the best and let the chips fall where they may.
"Yes, it's a relief just to have a season," Koonce said. "We're playing golf, and we're playing golf in our regular time frame, and that's what matters."
Chris Rhodes also contributed to this story.
