By Garth Shanklin
Sports Editor

Coming off a second consecutive Eastern Cincinnati Conference championship in 2015, the Milford Eagles returned to the links this season looking to extend their streak to three.

The Eagles qualified for the district tournament in 2015, the first time in 15 years the squad advanced to that round. Head coach Phil Sheldon said the team was “right in the mix” in the district competition, but they came up just short of qualifying for state.

Gone from last season’s squad is Jonathan Snider, but the Eagles have several returning golfers who will hit the links in 2016.

One of those golfers got off to a solid start last week, with senior Nathan Arnold shooting an even-par 72 to win the ECC Preseason tournament. Another returning golfer, senior Aaron Wade, earned first-team all-conference honors in 2015 and, according to Sheldon, is expected to be a key leader on the squad this year.

“Our team will be led by those two seniors,” Sheldon said. “[They] bring great experience and determination that is contagious for the younger players.”

One of those younger players is sophomore Justin Horn, who earned first-team all-conference honors in 2015. The play of the sophomore as well as the leadership from his seniors has the team believing it can make a jump this year, according to Sheldon.

“They feel they are prepared physically and mentally to be one of the top teams in the state,” Sheldon said.

Sheldon expanded on that, saying even when the team wasn’t feeling at the top of their game, they were still able to dig down and do what was necessary to win.

“Momentum is a big thing in golf because it can help teams gain and maintain confidence,” Sheldon said. “This team feels like, on days when they don’t have their best game, they have the mental preparation and stamina to push through and still produce the results to be successful. This team is the most competitive group of guys I have ever coached. They want to win no matter what competition, big or small, we are playing in tournament play or at practice.”

That competitiveness will serve the team well in a tough conference, according to Sheldon.

“The guys understand that they are going to get every team’s best shot,” Sheldon said. “They feel like they are ready for the challenge. If we are fortunate enough to win a third straight conference championship, the team will be just excited as the first one. We need to be mentally focused and mentally tough.”

Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles’ golfers came up just short in the ECC in 2015, finishing in second place. The team lost four seniors from that squad, leaving junior Casey Broxterman as the only player on the roster older than a sophomore. Regardless, new head coach Matt Thompson said the 2015 seniors have definitely left their mark on the players who remained.

‘Those seniors showed the girls good leadership and work ethic skills,” Thompson said. “I can already see those values instilled in our current group of girls that are returning. They worked hard all summer and continue to get better.”

In addition to Broxterman, Megan Loux will see time on the varsity squad this season. Loux is a freshman, but Thompson can already spot aspects of her game that transfer well to the varsity team.

“I see many great things in [Loux’s] game,” Thompson said. “I see a great future for [her] and for Milford girls’ golf. She scored lower than many other team’s upperclassmen in the ECC Shootout.”

The team placed second in the Shootout, and Thompson said in order to continue that success different golfers are going to have to step up for the Lady Eagles.

“With a lot of great teams in the ECC, our girls are going to have to work hard every match to finish in the top of the conference,” Thompson said. “We will need a couple girls to step up each week.”

Expectations are a bit different at Glen Este.

The Trojans lost a lot heading into the 2015 season, and have not quite yet recovered. Head coach Michael Niehaus has decided to change a few things heading into his second season at the helm.

“We’re going to try and play schools more at our level,” Niehaus said. “There isn’t a middle school program at West Clermont, so we suffer from not having ‘ready-made’ players when they get to high school. Much time is spent teaching the basic fundamentals, including golf etiquette. Many schools don’t have to spend time on that.”

Of the players returning to the Trojans’ team this year, Niehaus said he has two main aspects of the game he wants the players to improve on.

“I’m expecting them to play smarter and not multiply mistakes,” Niehaus said. “I’m hoping they can better their short game as well, which can be done in the back yard.”

The team has several newcomers, including Hunter Melton.

“I’m excited about [Melton],” Niehaus said. “[He] has a great swing, a great attitude and being on varsity his freshman year will certainly help him in the long run. He’s already hanging and belonging with veteran high school players after two tournaments.”

Niehaus said the team’s main goal this season is just to enjoy golf.

“With several newcomers, we’re just going to learn the game of golf so that each player can enjoy it, have fun and play a ‘life’ sport,” Niehaus said.