As the early portion of the season rolls on, the Pratt High School girls’ golf team has continued to have great success at each tournament they attend. All golfers have shown exponential improvement, which has allowed the team to grow and develop.
The team kicked off their 2023 season at Crazy Horse Golf Club in Hutchinson on Tuesday, August 29. The varsity team, which consisted of six girls with varying experience levels, collectively dominated in this tournament. In a 9-hole round, every single Pratt golfer placed in the top 15 individually.
Individually, PHS’ Avery Blasi dominated the tournament, earning 1st place and shooting a 37. Hayden Riffey placed 2nd with a solid round and a score of 47. Lexi Blasi came in 4th place with a 48. Anastin Teasley and Sage Kohman both earned medals shooting 55 on the links. Rayden Crow tied for 12th, shooting a 57.
Collectively, the Lady Greenbacks were tournament champions with a total of 187, beating 2nd place by over 40 strokes. The girls used this early win as a big confidence booster, which they carried into their next contest.
Pratt resumed action on Tuesday, September 5, when they traveled to Medicine Lodge for a varsity and JV tournament. First, the JV performed very well, earning 2nd as a team and shooting a collective 248. Amelia McCaskey shot a 58 to lead the Pratt JV and claim 2nd place. Tessa Schmidt came in 5th with a 60, Kaitlyn Vega was 9th with 63, and Avalee Washington was 16th with a 67.
In varsity action, the Greenback ladies continued their success from the first contest. Avery Blasi took the championship title with a 44. Teasley tied for second with 47, Lexi Blasi came in 4th with 49, Sage Kohman was 7th at 50, Hayden Riffey hit a 52 to secure 8th place and Crow shot 57 to claim 16th in the competitive field.
These scores were also good enough to give the Lady Greenbacks another team title, shooting 189 collectively and beating Hoisington by 18 strokes.
Head Coach Erika Householter has said that she has enjoyed seeing this group compete so far.
“All the girls have improved and are hitting the ball well,” Householter said. “They also have been focused and overall have had good attitudes. They have all made strides on the mental aspect of the game as well.”
Seeing these improvements, Householter has also identified areas where she believes the girls could improve.
“Although we have gotten better, they still need to improve their short game. Everyone is hitting good shots; we just have to be able to get up and down from 50 yards and in.”
Householter said her team’s mental game has been on par, in the face of the usual challenges.
“The mental part of the game will always be a challenge, as well as trying to avoid the emotional rollercoaster that golf can give,” she said. “They have been working hard on bouncing back after a bad shot or hole and not letting it become a trainwreck.”
Householter ended with some positive comments on the girls.
“It’s always easy to enjoy it when you have had the success that we have had, but I have really enjoyed coaching this group and watching them mature mentally. They show up every day with a goal in mind and work towards it. They also put in a lot of extra time individually, and they are starting to reap the benefits of all their hard work,” she said.
The Lady Greenbacks resumed action on Monday, September 11, hosting a home tournament in the rain at Park Hills Golf Course. Those results will be available next week.
