While the girls didn’t see very many first-place finishes, they did get some. More importantly, they learned how to play as a team and to their full potential. Their team chemistry is top-tier, which is only going to improve for next year because they aren’t losing any seniors. Captains Skyler Tierney and Maya Fitzgerald now have experience as captains, so next year they’ll be able to lead the team even better. With the season-ending, players began to reflect on the season.

“Overall, I think our season went pretty well this year,” junior Kiera Kempainen noted. It was my first year on varsity so I didn’t really know what to expect going into it, but we definitely had a good time and did pretty well in a lot of tournaments.”

In each of the first three matches of the season, the team landed in the top 3 for teams in division two, which is a positive when you look at it based on divisions, however, their first match was truly a 7th place finish if you count all teams involved. It’s unfortunate, but they bounced back and placed higher in many future events. Egypt Valley hosted their next match which gave them a 4th place finish. Higher than the last, but still room for improvement.

“I think our season was a time of growth and learning altogether,” Maya recalled, analyzing the season. “We were a pretty inexperienced team but through our teamwork and support of one another, we learned how to be successful. I enjoyed every minute of the season and I am very proud of how we pushed through and ended on a great note, I can’t wait for us to crush it next year!”

Following Egypt Valley was the Kenowa Hills Invite, in which the scorecard had “Forest Hills Central” listed at the top. It was proof that our team had the skill for high-placing finishes. What led to the dominance at this match was two amazing rounds by both the captains who tied for second place, shooting 79s. Their high-placing abilities continued through the next week as they took third place at Watermark Country Club. The third week of September gave the team third and fourth-place finishes as the team moved on throughout their season. Next on their schedule was an 18-hole round at Quail Ridge, where they fell behind FHN and FHC, taking the fourth place spot. A pair of 39’s were written down as Skyler’s and Maya’s scores at Boulder Creek as the season continued and neared the end of September. The conference tournament came next for the Rangers, however, it was an unfortunate fourth-place finish, and left the team with only one remaining match, regionals.

Regionals were an emotional day for all of the girls. Throughout the match, the girls began to realize it is most likely going to be the end of their season, as they need a 3rd place finish to advance to states. Arrowhead Golf Course hosted this regional event which wasn’t appreciated by the golfers. Arrowhead isn’t taken care of the way many think it should be, having very hard ground that makes it harder to hit a good shot. Unfortunately, the team wasn’t able to adapt to the course conditions as well as other teams did, which led to a heartbreaking sixth-place finish.

“With no seniors on the team, it was sort of a preparation season for all of us to focus on improving our game and getting consistent for next year,” Kiera also mentioned with confidence in a winning senior season. “We all worked super hard and became really close with one another, which helped make our season better through the support we give one another, on and off the course,”

Kiera and her teammates believe those are the exact reasons the girls varsity golf team will absolutely dominate the 2023 season.