Springs Valley Community High School

The Springs Valley boys’ golf team hasn’t been this inexperienced in a long time. After losing seven seniors and a head coach, a new group must rise and they’re motivated to be just as successful, if not more successful, than last year. The Blackhawks lost Max Pendley, Ryker Allen, Jake Hammond, Blake Albright, Jack Dalton, Landen Noble, and Owen Weisensteiner. Notably, four of those seven earned all-conference last year. Only two golfers are returning from last year, Kash Smoot and Van Leininger. If the ‘Hawks plan on winning another Patoka Lake Athletic Conference, then they’re going to have to rely on the incoming freshmen. “Losing seven guys is difficult for any sports program, especially when they have been part of the program for so many years. The group was important to SV golf and continued to build a great culture for our program,” Springs Valley boys’ golf coach Landon Harner said. “The most difficult thing about losing them in my opinion is only bringing back two guys who were able to play with them. We lost a lot of experience and leadership that is hard to replace.” Senior Smoot and sophomore Leininger have already embraced the newcomers and accepted their role as leaders. It’s up to them to pave the way for the newbies and continue last year’s program. Smoot’s played golf all four years of his high school career. His experience and laid-back style are critical to the program. He helps relieve the stress and frustration of playing golf that the newcomers experience. “So far, I think our two returning players have embraced the three freshmen and have taken them under their wing,” Harner said. “Our lone senior, Kash, is providing great leadership for this group and keeps things fun and laid-back. His laid-back approach provides so much value because it helps everyone to relax and have fun both during and after the matches. Golf can be frustrating and it is easy to get down on yourself, Kash's personality is key for our team's identity and growth this year.” The new head coach has seen lots of improvement. The freshmen have had time to adjust to the longer courses and their results are promising. In fact, the whole team has made improvements. Harner has been pushing for the team to focus on their attitude and mentality. The team focusing on the little things like that will give them an edge over their opponents. “Our freshmen are working hard and learning a lot as we go. This group is having to adjust to playing longer courses. The adjustment each player has to make from playing the Valley Links to the Donald Ross Course is no small task,” said Harner. “We have been working a lot on things that we can control, such as attitude and staying positive mentally while on the course. Golf is unique because while it is a team sport, each individual has their own game to play. We are really trying to get the team to focus on their individual games and not worry about who they are playing against.” The future is bright for the Springs Valley boys’ golf team. The current roster is Kash Smoot, Van Leininger, Brycen Cave, Brayden Nolley, and Ethan Archer. Clearly, a majority of the team is younger. They will have their first meet on Saturday, March 30th at the Donald Ross Course. Springs Valley Blackhawks Last season: 1st at PLAC, 3rd at Sectional Coach: Landon Harner Athletes to know: Brycen Cave (Fr.), Kash Smoot (Sr.), Vanden Leininger (So.) Meets to Circle: May 23 vs Orange County, May 27 vs PLAC, May 30 @ Jasper Sectional