Devils Primed For Big Season

A new season and a new coach has the Avon Park girls golf team excited about the prospects for the fall

Suzie Gentry, who was an assistant coach with the Red Devils last year, takes over as head coach and is looking forward to molding Avon Park into a team to be reckoned with on the links.

"I'm really excited about the season because we've got six girls returning from last year," Gentry said. "They gained valuable experience playing varsity golf last year and each of the girls has improved a lot.

"We've also got two new girls on the team who should be able to contribute as the season progresses."

Leading the way for the Red Devils is senior captain Courtney Robinson, who qualified for regionals two years ago, had a hole-in-one at the Bluffs, and was selected to the Highlands Today All-Heartland golf team last year.

"Courtney has played four years of varsity and is our leader," Gentry said. "She is a solid player and her short game has really improved.

"She is working on being more accurate off the tee and I'm expecting big things from her this year."

Junior Paige Moffat, who was selected to the Highlands Today All-Heartland girls golf team as an honorable mention last year, gives the Red Devils an experienced player at the top of the lineup.

"Paige worked really hard on her game over the summer on the Sertoma Junior Golf Tour," Gentry said. "She has improved a lot and is primed for a breakout season."

Sarah Hunnicutt may only be a sophomore, but she is one of the biggest hitters on the team.

"Sarah can really hit it long," said the Avon Park first-year coach. "She just needs to keep the ball in play off the tee and work on her short game around the greens to become a solid player for us.

"All of the girls need to work on their short game because nobody hits it straight all the time and being able to get up and down from off the green can save a lot of shots over the course of their round."

Senior Zeporah Gasper returns and gives the Red Devils another accomplished player.

"Zeporah has worked hard on her driving accuracy," Gentry said. "She is a good player and needs to work on her putting to be a more consistent player."

Sophomore Katelynn Stoll played on the softball team and brings a lot of athleticism to the links.

"Katelynn is strong and very athletic and I've been working with her on her swing," Gentry said. "She has worked hard to improve and I think she is going to surprise some people this year."

Sophomores Angela Bateman and Brittany Scranton took lessons over the summer and have shown a lot of promise in practice.

"I'm excited to get to work with Angela and Brittany because they have a lot of potential," said the Red Devil coach. "This is the most depth we've had in the last few years and that bodes well for the future."

Senior Alyssa Thompson has the talent and experience to play any number of positions for the team.

"Alyssa has shown a lot of improvement," said Gentry. "She is a hard worker and always gives a good effort."

Avon Park opens the season on Sept. 11 with a match against Frostproof and Lake Placid in Frostproof.

"I'm so excited to be the coach because I had a blast as the assistant coach last year," said Gentry. "I'm really looking forward to the start of the season and I know we're going to compete and have a lot of fun."