Spring sports are now in full swing with tryouts ending for sports like girls soccer and boys baseball. However, one sport that does not have a formal tryout process is the boys golf team. 

The Kewpies are led by their head coach David Johnson who is beginning his second season with the program. When asked about the season’s preseason build-up, he was very optimistic in his answer. 

“We had a good preseason. We had swing practices at Caddies (indoor facilities) and at Lake of the Woods Golf courses. We averaged around 18 players per preseason workout,” Johnson said.

Something that Johnson said when discussing what he desires from his team is that he wants them to practice and play with a purpose.

When talking about what some teamwide mottos were as a three-year member of the team, Wilson Eastman (11) chimed in.

“We’re here to have fun, but we’re also here to work hard at the same time. We’re here to get better every day,” Wilson said. 

Wilson has been on the team for two years, this being his third. “I’ve been golfing for a while. My dad kind of got me into it,” Wilson said. 

When asked about his journey to the golf team, Wilson said, “One of my old swing coach’s assistant coach [His freshman year], he helped me…come play…I love the coaches, it was a great time, and it was something for me to do. So, I’m very happy that I’m still doing [it].”

Another member of the team and fellow junior is Derek Jantz. 

“I’ve been on the golf team for 3 years. I joined the golf team because I wanted to do a spring sport and I thought that golf was the right choice.”

Along with being on the team for his whole high school career, Derek found some success last year in a JV match. 

“I went to a JV match, and going into it I was thinking that I would do okay and mostly just have fun. I ended up winning,” Derek said. 

When asked about what he would tell incoming freshmen or new members of the team, Derek’s answer fit in with what both his coach and teammate had to say. 

“The boys golf team is a mix of getting better at golf and having a lot of fun. Since I have been on the golf team, there has never been a dull moment. Our coaches are always there if we have a question and they always try to keep things competitive,” Derek said.

Another member of the team is Oliver Jacober (11), a three-year member of the team, who started playing golf for the first time in his freshman year. 

“We have lots of potential to be great and hopefully we fulfill that,” Oliver said.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Hickman has some big goals. 

“Be ready to compete for a CMAC championship and to win districts. This will give us an opportunity to qualify for state,” Coach Johnson said. 

To the same question, Wilson said “I want our team to qualify for the state tournament as a team so we can bring as many people as we can and I want us just to keep improving every single tournament, [to] get better.”