More history in the making?
Golfers made first trip to state in 2021
By Casey Krautkramer
How could Marathon’s varsity golf team top its inaugural trip to the WIAA Division 3 state tournament last season? The Red Raiders have their top five starting lineup back this season, thus the team has a good shot at making back-to-back trips to state for the first time in school history while attempting to win its first ever state championship.
Fourth-year Marathon head golf coach Luke Jacobson is well aware there are a lot of factors, like the weather, that determine whether or not a golf team advances to the state tournament, regardless of the amount of talent it has returning.
“We have been talking about complacency from day one in our open gym sessions,” Coach Jacobson said. “If we recognize that the hard work, focus and team mentality is what got us to state last year, and dedicate ourselves to that formula we can again be successful. That starts with those who got us there all the way down to our new golfers. Thinking that our talent and experience alone will get us there is not our approach. Last year, we were a scrappy team with limited experience and now this year we have to handle the expectations, and handle adversity when it comes.”
Last season, Marathon’s golf team won the WIAA Division 3 sectional championship at Hunters Glen Golf Course in Crivitz to advance to the state tournament for the first time in school history. The Red Raiders’ return their starting lineup in the state tournament consisting of seniors Noah Gage, Ben Robbins and John Stoffel, along with sophomores Alex Pawlowicz and Dylan Dodson. Other Red Raider golfers returning this season who competed in more than one varsity meet last year are seniors Camryn Sapinski and Max Buchberger.
Coach Jacobson feels fortunate is have a plethora of experienced golfers back in 2022.
“After a pandemic canceled year and a team with little to no experience last year, it is great to have so much experience coming back,” he said. “We talk a lot about learning from each experience you have on the golf course, because it is a short season and there are a ton of variables. To have a group that has golfed at state, you can see by their scores but also their body language on the course, how important that experience is.”
Coach Jacobson also has a bevy of new golfers competing in the high school program this spring for spots on the school’s varsity and junior varsity teams. The following are the top newcomers to Marathon High School’s golf program this season: seniors Dakota Reedman, Kendra Stoffel and Jonah Streveler; juniors Andy Goergen, Charlotte Gruetzmacher, Ashley Phakitthong and Mason Seehafer; sophomores Marcos Cruz-Bloom, Lily Gage, Jordan Rauen, Jacob Rhyner, Logan Schmidt, Dylan Schreiner and Aiden Stanek and freshmen Marcus Doty, Liz Goergen, Blake Kraft and Myles Handrick.
Coach Jacobson definitely has the strength in numbers of golfers out for the high school program this season.
“To have 25 golfers all competing for varsity and junior varsity spots, we have created a strong culture of competition to push one another to be better,” he said. “Noah has been our No. 1 golfer since his freshman year, and has seen it all at this point. He will tell you how much he learned, not only from winning meets and the individual accomplishments, but more importantly from the adversity he has faced throughout. He doesn’t compete for a state individual medal without his team picking him up throughout the season; that isn’t just the four that golfed with him, it is everyone. Again, his experience will help him be one of the better golfers not only in our area but in the state this year.”
Marathon is halfway toward its goal of winning the Marawood Conference championship this season. The Red Raiders golfed a low team score of 355 during the first leg of the conference championships on April 22 at Pine Valley Golf Course in Marathon. Wausau Newman took second place with a team score of 368 followed by Wisconsin Rapids Assumption in third with 390 and Prentice in fourth with 399. Noah Gage was medalist in the first conference leg with an individual low score of 78.
“I am extremely proud of how we handled the weather conditions and posted a solid team score in the rain and cold,” coach Jacobson said.
The second and final leg of the Marawood Conference championships is at 11 a.m. this Monday, May 9, at Merrill Golf Club.
“At the top of our goal sheet every year is to win a Marawood Conference championship,” coach Jacobson said. “It certainly lights a fire in us to win a very tough conference.”
The Red Raiders also won the tough Iola meet on April 25 at Whistling Straits Golf Course in Sheboygan with a low team score of 347. John Stoffel was the Iola meet medalist with a career low of 78, followed by Gage with a 79.
Marathon’s assistant golf coaches this season are Brett Kage and Ryan Winkler.
