Lady Bluehawks enter golf season with high expectations

Thompson Falls girls, boys golf coach Mike Bates has every reason to display optimism when asked about his team’s chances as they prepare for the 2018 golf campaign.

Bates has every component of the boy’s Bluehawk team returning from last season and his team has only gotten better.

“Absolutely, I am optimistic about this season,” Bates said. “I’ve got all five of my starters coming back from last year. I’ve also got three freshmen that can all play golf and will be in the mix of competing in the top five (on our team) next year.”

Bates refers to his freshman trio of Cade Pardee, Roman Sparks and Nate Oswald as “the shark tank,” a reference to their ability the group has displayed since middle school. Bates has expressed optimism the three newcomers will make his existing nucleus of talent that boasts of top-tier No. 1 golfer Dylan Beckman, No. 2 golfer Ethan Brown, and No. 3 golfer Michael Johnson. The trio will be complemented by upperclassmen Cole Stone and Caden Sparks, who Bates said are “even better than they were last season.”

“My freshman have all played golf and there will be some good competition for the four and five spots,” Bates said. “Hopefully, my freshman will push (some of the upperclassmen) to work on their game to get into that five for a tournament.”

Bates isn’t the type of coach that will ever talk about the prospects of his team making it to state. That is just not his philosophical approach. In 2015, Bates guided a team that captured the MHSA Class B-C state golf title. It was a team Bates said most experts didn’t predict to win, and having that success as a reference, Bates would like this team to qualify for state before ever talking about it prematurely.

“I think every year we have as good of a chance as anyone to win our Divisional,” Bates said. “After we win Divisional, then we will focus on state and this year (our boys) are going to be really good. We are hopeful to make it through Divisionals. We are getting ready for our Divisionals and that (Divisional) is going to be our No. 1 goal.”

Of the eight of the accomplished Bluehawk golfers, there is one senior that shines above the rest of his teammates and that is their clear-cut No. 1 golfer Dylan Beckman.

Beckman, a golfer that has generated interested from colleges and will most likely take his game to the collegiate level, has continued to work on improving his game, according to Bates.

“Dylan is a special player and you aren’t going to find many young men that much better than him on or off the golf course,” Bates said. “He is our No. 1 player and we are expecting a lot from him. Dylan has improved every year in leaps and bounds and even though we’ve only had a few practices (this year), he is striking the ball well and has buckled right down and has even practiced without us working on his game.”

The work ethic Beckman has displayed could propel him to Divisionals and possibly to a state bid, Bates said.

“(Beckman) will do good and he is the type that makes a lot of friends out on the golf course,” Bates said. “He has the respect of a lot of players as well as coaches. He’s just a good, solid young man.”

Bates, who is now in his 10th season as a Bluehawks’ head coach, is optimistic his team can make a strong showing in Divisionals.

The supporting cast that surrounds Beckman gives the Bluehawks every chance to do so. Ethan Brown, the Bluehawks No. 2 player, is a “solid player that gets better every year,” according to Bates.

Senior Micheal Johnson has been a member of the Bluehawks since his freshman season, and Bates and his coaching staff are optimistic about Johnson’s chances entering this season. In 2017, Johnson missed qualifying for the MHSA B-C state tournament by two strokes at Divisionals.

Stone and Sparks will provide the team with stability at the four and five spots along with the freshmen to compliment the team.

“The bottom four and five spots on our team will be switching a lot this season and there is going to be a lot of challenges there from our team battling for those two spots,” Bates said. “The group of freshmen, I’ve been watching them since they were little and pushing them since they were in sixth grade. I am excited to have them playing.”

Another key component of the Bluehawks’ team will be assistant coach Gary Thompson, who lends his 45 years of coaching experience to the team. He, along with Bates, will help the Bluehawks refine their team mechanics as they work towards another promising season.

“I am so thankful to have him back and he has a passion for the game,” Bates said. “The kids are so happy to have him around. He’s a student of the game and loves helping kids. He has a lot of passion and (working with him) is pretty awesome.”

Bates expressed his confidence.

“Our goal is to get through Divisionals and if we play well, anything can happen,” Bates said. “In 2015, when we won it, we weren’t the strongest team (entering state) but our team sure got it done that year. I like our chances (this year), absolutely.”

The Thompson Falls Lady Bluehawks golf team will be focused solely on the individual accolades because they are one player short of being able to accumulate team points.

The main component of the Lady Bluehawks will be returning all-stater Elsie Brown, who Bates, the coaching staff and Brown herself will have high expectations for as she enters her senior season.

“I think she is a lot better golfer and she is more mentally tough (this season),” Bates said. “Her key component is her confidence. She is pretty tenacious during practice and during tournaments.”

Bates said Brown is fueled by her “competitive edge” as the Lady Bluehawks continue to prepare for their season opener. Brown was the main component behind sparking the Lady Bluehawks to a 7th place overall finish last year in the MHSA Class B-C state golf tournament at Marias Valley Country Club.

“She is going to go out and take every hole as it comes: good, bad or indifferent,” Bates said. “Elsie just makes the best of it and doesn’t get rattled out there anymore on the course. She just takes one shot at a time.”

Brown will also provide senior leadership to one of the newcomers for the Lady Bluehawks, Megan Baxter. Baxter, who, according to Bates, has demonstrated a lot of potential, will get a chance to learn from Brown.

“I think Megan is going to get a chance to watch how Elsie plays and she’ll get to play with her quite a bit this year,” Bates said. “This will allow for a little bit quicker time for her to mature and to see what Elsie does. It will give her someone to look up to and practice with.”

Another member of the Lady Bluehawks team who was a component of last year’s 7th place team at the MHSA Class B-C golf team is junior Madison McKenzie.

“Madison has been with us since she was a freshman and over the last two years, has had a ton of improvement,” Bates said. “She enjoys being out there and has shown progress in her game. She goes out there and has fun when she practices, and that is half of the battle. This is going to be another good year for Madison.”

Bates likes his team to be able to write down their beginning-of-the-year goals on paper. This year, Bates figures one of Brown’s big goals is to finish in the top 5 at state.

“I would love to see her in the top 5 or below and she is very capable (of doing that),” Bates said. “I always tell the kids, at the start of the season, to write down what they want to accomplish. I think the way she plays, she’ll be right in the mix.”