Golf Team Gears Up for the Close of the Season

The 2019-2020 Moeller Varsity Golf Team via Moeller Twitter

The Moeller golf team is off to a hot start so far in the 2019 season and hope to continue their success from last year. The team had a good season last year but fell short of advancing to state, this year they hope to achieve their goal of winning state. I sat down with players and head coach Dan Dunlap and there is a lot to be excited about this year.

Coach Dan Dunlap spoke about the key players that will contribute this season. “Well our two juniors have really shown that they shoot the lowest and average score. They have been the two guys we can count on for a good, low round and they are juniors Thomas Henderson and Matt Daulton.”

Daulton, Henderson and three seniors make up the top five of the golf team. All five of them are playing really well and all averaging under 80 strokes a round or 40 for nine holes.

Coach Dunlap then talked about the seniors, “Focusing on the seniors, Brock Rumpke, Ethan Holley, and Ryan Kelley are some of our best upperclassmen.” This team has won 4 tournaments and the team gold team has won the golf team a fifth tournament. Coach Dunlap went on say that our top five are “all-stars” this year!

Like many sports at Moeller, the golf team shares a similar vision of expectations. Here Coach Dunlap said, “The expectations are simple; the guys show up to the course and they give it their best and have fun doing it. We try not to put expectations such as winning, qualifying for state, etc. because it can distract us from our goals and put unwanted pressure on our guys.”

This year’s team is very experienced, three seniors and two juniors, many of these guys have been on varsity for three years now and know their roles. Coach Dunlap then said, “Unfortunately, this is the last time all 13 players and myself will be together so we try to enjoy every moment as a team.”

Along with the tournaments the Crusaders have won this year, they have played some pretty tough competition. Coach Dunlap talked about some of their fiercest competitors, “Statewide, this has been Archbishop Hoban, Cleveland St. Ignatius, Dublin Jerome. Locally this has been the school on Northbend road and Lakota East.” These are some teams the golf team faces week in and week out when traveling the state.

Throughout the season, the Golf team has traveled to many tournaments in Ohio and other states. “We have traveled to Saint Louis and North Carolina for tournaments. We are out of town basically every weekend either in Columbus, Cleveland, Akron, Toledo, or Dayton.” This past weekend on 9/21, the golf team played at one of the nicest golf courses in the country, Scioto Country Club. Also, Beavercreek and Glenview.

Senior Michael Currin says he enjoys getting to travel with the team. One of his fondest memories of being on the team was, “Driving down to North Carolina my junior year.” Senior Ethan Holley agrees saying that his best memory was all the times the team got to hang out while they weren’t even on the course.

On the course, Nolan Lyon may have the most exciting memory. “I chipped in on a hole at Oasis Golf Course to beat St. Xavier,” Nolan said with a smile.

The team is now looking ahead to the close of the season that will take them to Columbus for a tournament on September 28.

The first leg of the OHSAA state tournament begins October 2 at Sharon Woods.