HNS will feature a young golf team this year

HARTINGTON — The Hartington-Newcastle boys golf team is looking forward to a strong spring after last season was taken away from them and everyone else.

Head coach Ken Kneifl enters his 24th season with the Wildcats.

He has seen plenty of great campaigns that include 2002 when they were conference and District champions and finished fourth in Class D at the State meet and 2013-14 when the Wildcats were twice conference runner-up, and finished fourth and fifth at State.

Could this season see some similar success? With such a youthful roster, this might be more about building for a future run of success.

“As a team this group does whatever you ask of them,” Kneifl said. “They also get along with each other so well. It is a really fun group to work with. We are just so inexperienced as a team. Each practice and meet will be learning experiences. It will be fun to watch this grow.”

The roster includes juniors Reece Morten and Carson Jones, sophomores Turner Dendinger and Mason Buschkamp and freshmen Dayton Sudbeck and Riley Sudbeck.

“Reece is the only one who has played in a high school meet,” Kneifl said. “Turner and Dayton are familiar with them as Turner’s older brothers and Dayton’s sister played high school golf. Reece started for us two years ago as a freshman, He really improved throughout that season and has continued to work hard since then.

“Turner is very promising, Dayton Sudbeck is a freshman who has played quite a bit of golf already. Our other three golfers are new to the game for the most part.”

Kneifl said Jones is a coachable, hard worker who is making strides every day, Buschkamp also is progressing nicely and Sudbeck is very athletic.

“He was the starting quarterback on the football team this past fall as a freshman and earned a lot of playing time on the basketball court as well,” Kneifl said. “Though he is new to the game he has already become a very good ball striker. Like everyone who picks up the game he is simply working to become more consistent and become good in the short game.”

The key will now be to find that steady hand consistently among the roster.

“We are inconsistent which is to be expected with a young group,” Kneifl said. “The pandemic hurt several of them from an experience standpoint but that would be true for all teams. I don’t think the pandemic has had any impact on anything that we can’t work past.”

Kneifl notes the addition of Mike Johnson, formerly of Cedar Catholic fame, as a teacher on the school staff and will assist the golf team.

“This is a real plus because I consider Mike as good of a golf coach as I’ve been around,” Kneifl said.

Morten said just being out on the course again is a relief.

“It feels good to be back out there,” he said. “We’re young and talented and I definitely think we can improve a lot and have a very successful year. We have a couple of kids who have never played before, but I see improvements.

“We all hang out on the weekends and we are all good friends. We have no seniors, so we will all be back next year. If everything clicks, I think we can go to state as a team, but it’s going to take a lot of work to get there.”

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