Though Madison County lost its no. 1 player from last year’s lineup, the Lady Raider golf team is swinging to improve upon its fifth-place finish in the region in 2008.
“I think we’ve got a chance to be as good or better than we were last year,” said coach Doug Kesler.
Madison County lost Nicole Cleghorne, the team’s top scorer last spring, to graduation, but returns everyone else.
This year’s lineup comprises Cortney Boggs, Emily Mann, Taylor Morgan, Megan Kesler and Kelsey Hochstetler.
Kesler said Boggs and Mann sharpened their games during the offseason, while Morgan and Megan Kesler are “starting to come around.”
Hochstetler is a good addition to the team, according to Kesler.
Kesler said that the rest of the region is a mystery at this point and will largely remain that way until the April 20 8-AAAA tournament.
The Lady Raiders face only two region teams — Winder-Barrow and Habersham Central — during the regular season.
Madison County started its season with a 103-110 victory over Oglethorpe County March 5.
Boggs led Madison County with a 50 and Mann rounded out the scoring with a 53. Morgan (54), Megan Kesler (55) and Hochstetler (59) also competed.
The Lady Raiders followed that with a victory over Habersham Central (104-115) Monday and a loss to defending Class AAA champion Franklin County (79-106) Tuesday.
In the victory over Habersham, Boggs and Megan Kesler led Madison County with rounds of 52.
In the loss to Franklin County, Hochstetler fired a 52 and Megan Kesler added a 54.
“We played at Highland Walk, which is a very tough course to walk and hard to play if you haven’t played it before,” coach Kesler said. “I was very proud of Kelsey, as it was the first time she had played it and was matched up against two of the best golfers in the state. All five of our girls have improved from last year and any of the five are capable of turning in our two best scores.”
