A mixture of youth and experience are being counted on to make a competitive blend for this year’s Thompson Falls boys’ and girls’ golf teams.

The Blue Hawks and Lady Hawks have been practicing at their home course, River’s Bend Golf Course just outside of town, with a contingent of 11 boys and four girls. 

Head coach Doree Thilmony said the focus, as always, will be to improve daily and produce lifetime golfers who love the game. 

“As always, my goal for our team is for the golfers to improve their game and compete,” Thilmony said. “We hope to make a competitive showing and Divisionals and send some golfers to state”. 

Back for this year’s golf team are Sophia Chou, Olivia Naccarine, Solveig Nygaard and sophomore Aubree Baxter, who is currently rehabbing a knee injury she sustained while playing basketball for the Lady Hawks post-season team. 

The boys’ team has a solid group of golfers on the roster, including Blake Shusterman, Weston Block, Bill Detlaff and Jacob Molina from last year. New to the boys’ team this year are Will Grenda and Jack Kull, along with a group of promising eighth graders, Tristan Kelly, Lane Thilmony, Nathan Baxter, Grady Dana and Easton Helvey. 

“With the youth and some experience on the boys' side, we look to build a team that has potential to compete,” Thilmony said. “We are also excited about the younger boys coming into the program and hope they continue to grow together and play lots of golf together”. 

Among the girls out this year, Nygaard is expected to have a good season again this year. 

“The girls have Solveig Nygaard, who was a state participant last year, coming back,” Thilmony added. “She looks to improve and make it back to Shelby this year (site of the state tourney).  Her goal is to perform stronger and move closer to the placing rounds this year”. 

Helping Thilmony out this year are a pair of volunteer coaches, Mike Baxter and John Mosher. 

“The very end goal is for these golfers to love the game and play it the rest of their lives”. 

Thompson Falls is slated to take part in the Plains Invitational April 11 at Wild Horse Golf Course north of Plains.