Red Devils Wallop Wildcats

Despite persistent rain and windy conditions in Monday's match against Hardee, the Avon Park girls golf team managed to persevere for a hard-fought win.

The Red Devils had a four-person team score of 208, while the Wildcats came in with a score of 228 over the demanding front nine of the River Greens golf course.

The Class 1A-District 16 win improved Avon Park to an impressive 11-1-1 on the season.

"I'm so proud of the girls for maintaining their composure and staying focused on a tough day to play golf," said first-year Red Devil coach Suzie Gentry. "It rained on and off during most of the round and it made playing very difficult.

"They just plugged along, dealt with the conditions and still managed to shoot a very good score on a tough, wet course."

Avon Park sophomore Sarah Hunnicutt earned medalist honors with a 47, sophomore Angela Bateman carded a 52, junior Paige Moffat came in with a 54 and senior captain Courtney Robinson rounded out the Red Devil scoring with a 55.

"The girls are much more consistent in their play and that really excites me," Gentry said. "They have worked very hard at every facet of their games and it's starting to pay off.

"We've got the district tournament coming up next week and we want to be peaking at the right time."

Hardee was led by sophomore Kara Norris who had a 51, Emily Williams came in with a 55, Lauren Moore carded a 58 and Emma Marshal rounded out the Wildcats' scoring with a 64.

"We have a pretty young team, but the girls have worked hard to improve," said Hardee veteran coach Byron Jarnigan. "We've improved over the course of the season and that's all a coach can ask for.

"The girls are anxious to learn more about the game and it's been a pleasure to coach them."

Avon Park, Hardee and Lake Placid are preparing for next Tuesday's Class 1A-District 16 tournament, which will be held at The Links at Greenfield Plantation in Bradenton.

"We've had a great season and I've had so much fun coaching the girls this year," Gentry said. "The district tournament is going to be played at The Links and that course is long, has lots of water and plenty of sand traps in the fairway and around the greens.

"We played our practice round their last week so the girls could get a look at the course and familiarize themselves with the layout. "We won't be using driver on some holes because we have to keep the ball in play off the tee because there is water on most of the holes."

The Red Devils will have their work cut out for them at the district tournament since only the top three teams advance to the regional competition.

"We're in a very tough district because we're competing against a lot of private schools," Gentry said. "The girls know they will have to play their best to have any chance at moving on, but they're looking forward to competing.

"We've played some tough schools during the season and I don't think the girls will be intimidated at the district tournament."

Avon Park is back in action with an away match on Thursday at Lekarika Country Club against host Frostproof and Sebring.

"We're just fine-tuning our games right now," Gentry said. "I've had a lot of fun coaching the girls this year and hopefully, they've learned more about the game and have become better players."