With five returning players and momentum from a strong postseason showing, Orange head coach Rick Clark enters his 25th season with high hopes for his squad.
“We can be very competitive, as we showed last year in the postseason,” Clark said. “We need to be more consistent. With five returning players, we hopefully can make that happen.”
The Lions closed the 2024 season in impressive fashion, finishing second at the Division II Pine Hills sectional tournament and placing 12th at the Windmill Lakes District. Now, they’re aiming to build on that success and make a deeper run.
Leading the charge is senior Jayden Park, who returns as Orange’s No. 1 player. Park averaged 41.5 strokes per nine holes and 82.4 in 18-hole rounds last fall, earning honorable mention all-district honors.
“An injury at the preseason (Chagrin Valley Conference tournament) kept him from being a first-team player, but he showed the rest of the season why he was our best player,” Clark said.
Joining Park is junior Sammy Heiser, another key returnee who shined in the postseason and earned honorable mention all-CVC and all-district honors.
“Sammy played his best golf in 2024 in our postseason tournaments and has been working extremely hard this summer,” Clark said. “He should make another jump going into his third year as a varsity player.”
Junior Jordan Clotman is another player to watch. He averaged 45.0 strokes in nine-hole rounds and 87.1 over 18 holes, stepping up when it mattered most.
“Jordan, like Sammy, played his best golf when it mattered last season, in our postseason tournaments,” Clark said. “Jordan is a long hitter who also has been working very hard this summer. He’s going into his third year of varsity action and should continue to improve.”
Sophomore Charlie Thomas impressed as a freshman, earning second-team All-CVC honors.
“Charlie was a talented freshman last season,” Clark said. “He has very good skill and with a year of varsity experience under his belt, should make some noise in our conference.”
Junior Russell Melvey rounds out the returning varsity core after averaging 46 strokes per nine-hole round and 90.1 per 18.
“Russell, who is also a very good baseball player, got some valuable experience playing varsity as a sophomore,” Clark said. “He is a hard worker and a competitor. We expect Russell to make a jump as a golfer in 2025.”
The battle for the sixth spot is heating up between juniors Michael Nemer and Drew Moderick.
“Both Michael and Drew got a brief chance to play varsity in spots last year and will be fighting with some of our other JVs from last year to fill our sixth spot,” Clark said.
Despite having just one senior, the Lions are rich with experience and potential. If they can find the consistency they lacked at times last year, Clark believes this group could be dangerous.
“(We have to play) to our potential as a team,” Clark said. “We need our third and fourth scores to be in the low 80s. If we can do that, we can play with most anyone.”
