Springs Valley Community High School

Macy Hall’s drive on the fifth hole wasn’t exactly what she’d wanted as she made her way around the Valley Links on Wednesday evening. The senior had pushed her tee shot to the right of the fairway, off into the thicker stuff near the trees that dot the space between holes four and five. While it was probably a bit frustrating, Hall put it behind her and played her next shot. She stuck it in the dead center of the green, then two-putted to save par. It was a feat that not so long ago she wouldn’t have been as well-equipped to perform. She showed her resilience again on the seventh hole. Double-parring hole six could’ve snowballed into something much worse, but instead she got back to work and parred the next hole. She’d ultimately finish with a score of 48, very fittingly working her way through the ups and downs of her senior night round just as she’s worked through her entire career at Springs Valley. “It’s great that Macy has learned to not let a bad shot or hole take her out of the game,” Springs Valley coach Eric Elkins said. “She’s had days where she thought it was awful and at the end came in as medalist or a close second and that’s helped her to not get down. Experience is key and as a senior she has that and uses it to control her emotions.” Hall’s score turned out to be the second best of the evening, trailing only teammate Mia Cruz’s 42, and was a big reason why the Blackhawks were able to take down Crawford County, Orleans, and Paoli by a large margin. While her impact on the course is felt constantly, the impact of the example she’s set for the younger players around her might be even greater. “She means a lot [to the program]. She knows that you need to work and she does that, and that sets a good example for the other girls. Especially for the freshmen coming in,” Elkins said. “They’re in new territory with the high school teams and they have to see and realize what it takes to succeed.” Wednesday’s match was the second in two days in which the Blackhawks kept their team score under 200, which is always a good sign with the biggest events of the season coming up. They finished at 199, nearly 30 strokes better than Paoli and nearly 40 strokes better than Orleans. It’s the latest part of an upward trend Springs Valley has been showing since having some early-season struggles and the Blackhawks were elated to pick up a big win for Hall on her senior night. “We’re having a pretty good year and after working for four years she deserves that,” Elkins said. “She’s very competitive and wants to do well at everything she does so I’m glad we’re getting the wins. She always feels she could’ve done a little better, but that’s what gives her the drive and pushes her. It feels good to get a win on her night.” Springs Valley will return to action next Wednesday, hosting the Patoka Lake Athletic Conference match at the Valley Links with hopes of bringing home a title. The next day the Blackhawks will play a tune-up against Bedford North Lawrence at Otis Park and once that’s done, they’ll head straight into the state tournament. Given that timeline and their recent results, the ‘Hawks believe that they’re peaking at the right time thanks to the hard work they’ve put in over the course of the season. “They work. They’re doing what I ask and they have the desire to win,” Elkins said. “We are working on their weak points and we talk about that. I ask what they think caused their issues and we focus on that. They’re getting more confident in themselves and that’s very important for them to be consistent.” Team Scores Springs Valley 199, Paoli 228, Orleans 237, Crawford County NTS Individual Scores Springs Valley — Mia Cruz 42, Macy Hall 48, Dallas Hendrix 52, Karmen Hall 57, Logan Watts 61 Crawford County — Scarlett Sullivan 52, Riley Setser 55 Orleans — Allison Jones 53, Anna Deckard 58, Julia Isom 59, Jacey Hess 67 Paoli — Avery Crews 50, Alivia Sweet 56, Hannah Woolston 60, Serenity Sweet 62