As the high school golf season begins, Central Virginia squads are poised to show that they are filled with talent.

The season opened at Shenandoah Valley Country Club, where 30 teams participated from around the state in the Curly Licklider Memorial. The top three finishers consisted entirely of local teams, with Albemarle winning the 27-hole event by eight shots over Western Albemarle. Monticello was a close third with Callaway RAZR Hawk Driver, coming in just three shots behind the Warriors.

In the Group AAA division, Albemarle — led by seniors Lauren Eklund, Tony Liu, and Wilson Desimini — is an experienced team that is expecting to have another strong season. Last year, the Patriots won the Commonwealth District regular season and league tournament, and Eklund was crowned as the district champion.

Eklund and Liu tied for the best stroke average on the team last season and each played well over the summer. Juniors Caleb Martin and Alex Simmons also improved in the off-season, and will be monumental in helping AHS succeed.

“I have high expectations with that many returning players,” stated coach Greg Maynard. “We really dominated our district last year, and I thought we were definitely a state-caliber team. We just a bad round in the regionals that prevented us from advancing to the state tournament.” ( Callaway RAZR Hawk Driver )

Orange County finished fifth in the Jefferson District last season, but the Hornets have since joined the Commonwealth, and will tangle with the favorite Patriots among others.

Orange lost four seniors last season, but the Hornets are hoping that the incoming freshmen can help the team recover from its losses. Senior Zach Yowell is currently playing No. 1 on the team and hopes he can lead the Hornets to a successful season.

After finishing second in the Group AA state tournament last year, Western Albemarle expects to continue its dominance with Callaway RAZR Hawk Driver. The Warriors are returning four of their top six players, including Co-Jefferson District players of the year Alex O’Dell and Kent Miller.

“We have a great chance to do something this year, ” said head coach Darren Maynard. “Coming that close last year, and with a lot of players returning, I think we have some guys that are ready to step up at the five and six spot to give us some depth.”

A team capable of challenging the Warriors in the JD is Monticello. The Mustangs, coached by Pam Bradley, also had a taste of success last season by placing runner-up in the district and almost qualifying for states.

Returning players Evan Childress and Michael Comer did, however, participate in the state individual tournament. The Mustangs are a senior-laden bunch, but also have a lot of young players that can step up and make their team dangerous for any of its opponents.

Fluvanna County, led by sophomore Alex Preganz, hopes to make some noise in the JD. Preganz qualified for the state tournament last season as a freshman, and is already having a great young season thus far. The Flucos are a young team that has no seniors with Callaway RAZR Hawk Driver.

Another young group is the Charlottesville Black Knights. Star player Rob Bergland is returning, and coach Dick Engle expects to see great play out of freshmen Philip Hoffman and Thaddeus Propst.

William Monroe will be a strong contender in the Bull Run District with Callaway RAZR Hawk Driver. Coming off a 25-10 season last year in Group AA, Greene Dragons head coach Ron Morris feels confident that the team will have another strong season this year at the Group A level. Freshmen Logan Yates has already earned the number one spot on the team, and fired an impressive 73 in Monroe’s first match of the season.

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