Springs Valley Community High School

Heading into Saturday’s Washington Regional at Country Oaks Golf Course, the Springs Valley girls’ golf team wasn’t one of the favorites to advance to the State Finals. As a small-school team competing in an unclassified sport, it’d be a rarity if they were. Matched up with the likes of Castle, Bedford North Lawrence, and Jasper, the Blackhawks looked to find success in their own way and they did so. They finished with a team score of 399, placing 11th in the event and beating bigger schools Southridge, North Knox, Seymour and Terre Haute North. Their win over Seymour, particularly, was exciting as they’d finished behind the Owls at sectional the week prior. “We knew from the beginning that we were underdogs, so they were a little nervous which is understandable, but when it ended I think we surprised a lot of people, especially since we have new players,” Springs Valley senior Hall said. “Karmen (Hall) is new, Logan (Watts) is new, Dallas (Hendrix) has experience, but it was one of her first 18-hole matches. They did extremely well and I was proud of them.” While it’s rare that a high-school athlete gets to finish their career with a smile on their face, that’s exactly what Hall did. While she didn’t make the cut for the State Finals, she did put together one of her best rounds of the season. The senior finished with a 91 on her card, a six-stroke improvement on her sectional score from this year and an impressive 20-stroke improvement on her average at the Washington Regional over the last three seasons. A big part of that was the way she started her day, posting a 42 on the back nine. “I just told myself that it’s my last one, so I might as well have fun. I didn't put any pressure on myself, I just golfed. ” Hall said. “Usually I’m nervous before the first tee, but this year I just wanted to have fun and everything just kind of put itself together. The back nine was really good. I played one of my best (nine-hole) rounds ever, especially at Country Oaks. “That gave me a lot of confidence. I was just more confident with my shots and I was more aggressive on specific holes. I’d club up and try to get on the green.” Mia Cruz also had a strong performance at Country Oaks despite facing some turbulence midway through the day. The junior, making her second regional appearance, had a score of 39 heading into her final hole of the back nine and because of that was in good position to possibly match Hall’s 42 or at least be in the neighborhood. Then she topped her tee shot and it fell into the water hazard that makes the 18th at Country Oaks so distinct. When she finally put the ball in the hole, she scribbled a 10 on her card giving her a 49 for her first nine. She didn’t allow that to shake her though, rallying to score a 43 on the front nine. That gave her a final score of 92, a one-stroke improvement on her sectional score and a 12-stroke improvement on her score from the 2021 Washington Regional. “To be completely honest, the strategy on hole 18 wasn’t the best. It was pretty bad, but as I was walking off that tee box I just tried to keep my spirits up,” Cruz said. “That’s all you can really do. We still had to play and I was like, ‘well, it’s time for the next shot.’ You can’t worry about what you shot on a hole after it’s done because it’s there.” Beyond the two veterans, Springs Valley also saw continued improvement from its newer players as they competed in their first regional. Freshman Dallas Hendrix was particularly impressive with a score of 99, a significant improvement on her sectional score of 108. Karmen Hall battled through her round to finish at 117 and Logan Watts rounded out the afternoon with a 143. The Blackhawks hope those results will help fuel them to bigger things as they prepare for next season. “I think it’s a huge confidence booster, honestly. I think that once they see what they can do while being extremely nervous — and they did relatively good — it can boost their confidence a lot,” Cruz said. “That will be good to have as we go back into the regular season next year.” Team Scores Castle 296, BNL 344, Gibson Southern 355, Jasper 355, Terre Haute South 360, Ev. Mater Dei 379, Ev. Memorial 386, Barr-Reeve 388, Northview 389, South Knox 395, Springs Valley 399, Terre Haute North 405, Seymour 408, North Knox 411, Southridge 436 Individual Scores Springs Valley — Macy Hall 91, Mia Cruz 92, Dallas Hendrix 99, Karmen Hall 117, Logan Watts 143