The Lake Hamilton boys' golf team is off to a strong start this season thanks in part to the leadership of seniors Caleb Dodd and Jordan Johnson.
"Both of these guys were the only team members last season," said Lake Hamilton golf coach Brandi Higginbotham. "So, they couldn't actually compete for team scores.
"Caleb has had a very good summer and has really played well the past couple of weeks. Jordan is improving his game and working on little things to improve his scoring."
Dodd has led the field in scoring in two of Lake Hamilton's three matches to start the season. He finished second in the third match.
Lake Hamilton opened the season on July 31 at the Glenwood Country Club against Centerpoint.
Dodd carded a low score of 41 and Johnson shot a 45 to lead Lake Hamilton's team score of 183. Centerpoint was led by Kaden Owens at 45 and Gabe Doster shot a 47.
Lake Hamilton's boys' team includes Jerry Rico, senior; Brennan Gonzalez, junior; Connor Hall, sophomore; Peyton Garner, freshman; Josh Parish, freshman; and Cade Robinson, freshman.
Robinson added a score of 48 and Garner shot a 49 against Centerpoint.
"The group of freshman and have come in and immediately contributed," Higginbotham said. "We are looking to have some of these new guys step up and be competitive in our conference."
Owen Bright, Gavin Nutt and Michael Bright each carded a 51 for the Knights. They followed closely behind Lake Hamilton at 194.
All four members of Lake Hamilton's girls' team played on July 31. They are Kenley Spruill, sophomore; Annabelle Coppedge, freshman; Ginny Higginbotham, freshman; and Hayleigh Wyrick, freshman.
"The girls are all new players to the high school team and many are relatively new to golf," Higginbotham said. "We are very young on the girls team with one sophomore and three freshman.
"These four have had very good attitudes and have continued to improve each time we go to the course. This group just has to continue working on making their game more consistent. I am very pleased with their progress since we started together."
Kaydra Fox and Keasha Owens were the only two players for Centerpoint to make the trip. Fox shot a 45 and Owens shot a 66.
Ginny Higginbotham led Lake Hamilton with a 60. Coppedge and Spruill each carded a 71. Wyrick added a score of 72.
"We have many players on both squads that play multiple sports," Higginbotham said. "So, it is nice seeing them compete in such a challenging sport that will hopefully carryover into their other activities."
The Lady Wolves tied with Little Rock Central on Aug. 1 at the Hindman Park Golf Course as each team had a team score of 182 with three participants each. Ginny Higginbotham led the girls' match with a score of 54.
Dodd shot another 41 and Johnson carded a 50 as the Wolves shot a team score of 197. Two players for Central competed, shooting scores of 47 and 54.
The Wolves defeated Sheridan, 385-401, on Aug. 2 back in Glenwood. A player from White Hall had the lowest score of the day at 78, while Dodd was second at 81.
Nate Tucker, of White Hall, finished third at 88. Johnson finished fourth at 95.
Emma Hester's 80 led Sheridan's girls' team with a score of 294 to outpace Bismarck's team score of 319. Lake Hamilton finished with a score of 393.
Lake Hamilton is scheduled for nine holes against Fountain Lake on Thursday at the Isabella Golf Course in Hot Springs Village. The teams are scheduled for another nine-hole match on Monday against Bismarck at the DeGray Lake Resort State Park Golf Course.
Sports on 08/08/2018