Lutheran West’s boys’ golf team returns two starters from last year’s squad that finished 10-3 overall and 5-3 in the Chagrin Valley Conference.
Head coach Dale Lehrke is optimistic his squad will remain competitive this fall.
“I believe our team could surprise a few of our conference opponents if they work hard and play consistently,” said Lehrke, who is in his 10th year as head coach. “A potential conference championship is not out of the question.”
Lutheran West’s top players are returning starters Eric Dill and J.J. Hughes.
Dill, a junior, was all-conference last fall and Hughes, a sophomore, earned honorable mention all-conference honors.
“Eric brings much-needed leadership. As a two-time all-conference player, Eric’s expectations are high,” Lehrke said. “J.J. is a good player who brings a sense of stability to our program. I have strong hope that J.J. can provide additional leadership.”
Senior Anthony Coray, sophomore Ryan Albrecht, and freshmen Ray Pavlick and Trey Kemper will compete for the final three spots on varsity.
“Anthony bounced between JV and varsity last year. Improving throughout the year last year, he’s poised to be a permanent varsity player this year,” Lehrke said. “Ryan is expected to improve greatly this year and contribute to our success. Ray played a tremendous amount of golf this summer. He loves the game and you can tell it’s important for him to be successful. Trey was a pleasant surprise who showed up for golf this year. I believe he will continue to get better and be a strong player for our future.”
Lehrke seeks steady play out of his squad this fall and if everything falls into place as he expects it to, the Longhorns could compete for the conference title.
“Our team will be successful if we can play consistently and have a few of our guys put up solid numbers,” Lehrke said. “I am looking forward to the success of our team to improve upon our last season’s results.”
