After dominating the Patriot Athletic Conference last season, Lutheran West’s boys’ golf team is ready to tackle its new challenge of competing in the Chagrin Valley Conference.
The Longhorns finished the regular season last fall with a 14-1 record, the PAC regular season and tournament title and a second-place finish at the sectional tournament. With several returning starters, the potential again exists for a magical run this year.
“I am very excited about our 2019 season,” Lutheran West coach Dale Lehrke said. “We bring back a good number of players from last year. We are leaving the PAC and joining the CVC, which will provide another challenge for our team. Playing new and different courses, as well as getting to know our new conference, brings on new challenges and exciting experiences.”
Lehrke and the Longhorns again are out to win the conference as the first stepping stone toward several other goals.
“Our goal is the same as it is every year, win the conference,” Lehrke said. “This will be a difficult task, as our conference is new with a new landscape for us. Our team needs to eliminate mistakes and continue to improve as the year progresses. Consistency is the key to our success.”
Lutheran West’s returning starters include Jakob Gross, Cameron Wandrie, Tyler Robinson and D.J. Robinson.
Gross, a junior, earned first team all-conference honors last season and he was named second-team as a freshman.
“Jakob continues to improve his game,” Lehrke said. “He models our goal of being consistent. I am excited to see how he will perform in the new environment of the CVC, because nothing seems to bother him at all. (He’s a) very talented player.”
Robinson, a senior, is a four-year varsity player.
“He continues to get better and better each year,” Lehrke said. “Last year, he performed well in our PAC matches. Tyler is our team captain and look for him to step up in a way that will lead our team to great success.”
