Wildcats Mix Experience With Youth
With a team that includes five returning players, the Rockbridge County High School golfers seek to defend their Shenandoah District title and return to the Region 3C tournament.
Under the direction of second- year head coach Garret Huffman, the Wildcats have a healthy mix of experience and youth. They have 11 players out this year, up from eight last year, with six joining the team for the first time.
Repeating as district champions won’t be an easy task for the Wildcats, Huffman said. “It’d be awesome to repeat,” he said. “I think the district is gonna be even stronger this year.”
From the district, the top two teams and the top five individuals outside of those teams advance to the Region 3C tournament. “To get back to regions is a strong goal this year,” said Huffman.
From last year’s team, which placed fifth of eight teams in the Region 3C tournament, the Wildcats graduated their top two golfers, Harrison Tanner and Dean Fafatas. Tanner is about to start his freshman golf season for Division III school Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, and Fafatas is getting ready for his freshman year at Sewanee in Tennessee. Huffman expects that the Wildcats will see Tanner practicing because both RC and SVU are practicing at The Ranch Golf Club, formerly The Vista Links Golf Course, in Buena Vista. The Lexington Golf & Country Club, where the Wildcats practiced some last year and had home matches before that, is undergoing renovations, with the hope of being ready before next year’s fall season. The Wildcats have no home matches this year.
Grateful for the staff at The Ranch for allowing the Wildcats to practice there, Huffman said, ‘They’re super nice for letting us be here. … They have kept this up very nice.”
Playing for the Wildcats this year are two seniors, five juniors and four sophomores. The younger players will look to senior Finbar Looney, the team captain, for leadership. Looney was a starter last year, recording the team’s fifth and sixth scores at the end of last fall, and played in matches as a freshman and sophomore also. This year, he’s starting as their No. 3 golfer.
Huffman said Looney is a strong choice as captain because of “how he’s able to talk to everybody on the team. He kind of wraps everybody in with how he communicates with them, and he does well communicating with anybody, whether it’s a player or an adult. He’ll have a conversation with you, which is awesome, and that’s what I look for in a captain. I just know he’ll help out with what’s needed.”
RC’s other senior is Miles Holland, a swimmer and lacrosse player who is joining the golf team for the first time.
The Wildcats return three juniors: Henrick Colvin, Parker Flint and Davis Welsh. Last year, Welsh was RC’s No. 4 golfer at the end of the season, and he’s starting in the Wildcats’ No. 1 spot this season. Flint, who was the No. 5 golfer for the Wildcats last fall, is starting in their No. 2 spot. Colvin played in several matches last year and looks to build on his experience, starting at the No. 4 spot. Junior Joe Vargas, who was the Wildcats’ third scorer for much of last season, has decided not to play golf this fall and focus on tennis, after he was the Shenandoah District tennis player of the year this past spring. RC also welcomes two juniors who are firstyear golfers: Addie Brown and Tanner Hickman, who is starting at the No. 6 spot.
Joining the team as a sophomore is Brody Grue, starting at the No. 5 spot. Returning as a sophomore is Zoe Fafatas, while sophomores Sam Kelly and Whitley Penix are out for the first time.
Optimistic about his team after the first three days of practice, Huffman said on Thursday, “It’s exciting because we do have some experience mixed in with some people that are new to the team, but I’m excited to see what they do.”
On Monday and Tuesday of last week, the Wildcats traveled to Gypsy Hill Golf Course to play preseason qualifying rounds for their season opener on Monday, Aug. 3. “Just seeing what they were able to perform in the qualifying rounds, that’s just the beginning of the season,” said Huffman. “It’s very promising for the rest of the season. It’s a long season. You have two months to continue to work each and every day, and not just for the top six, but some of the ones outside of the top six. Basically, everybody has a chance to play in a match this year. It’s awesome.”
In a busy first week of the season, after their district match at Gypsy Hill on Monday, the Wildcats were scheduled to play a nondistrict match at Botetourt Golf & Swim Club yesterday in Troutville. They’ll conclude the week with a tournament on Friday at Lake Monticello Golf Course in Palmyra. All three competitions are on 18hole courses. The Wildcats will return to district action with an 18-hole match at The Homestead in Hot Springs next Monday at 2 p.m.
In the Shenandoah District, Huffman expects the Wildcats to face tough competition, especially from Waynesboro, which returns almost its entire roster. Huffman said Staunton, Fort Defiance and Wilson Memorial will also be strong. Last fall was the Wildcats’ first season in the Shenandoah District, following seven years in the Valley District.
Huffman, who was named district coach of the year last fall, said that, in his first year of coaching, “I think I learned what to do and what not to do. I just feel more comfortable going into this year because any time you start something new, you always don’t know what to expect, but I love it. I enjoy every bit of it. It’s awesome seeing how much fun these kids are having. It’s cool to see a team so bonded.”
