By: Shawn O’Brate
RIVERTON – This week marks the first week of Fall sports for the Riverton High School (RHS) as the defending state champion golf team travels to Jackson to play in the first tournament of the 2022 golf season.
The team will bring over 20 golfers to their varsity and junior varsity teams this year, including a full team of girls which will mark the first time the high school has done so since they won the state title with their 2019 girls’ squad.
Losing seniors like Daxton Fischer, Brett Jones and Kennedy Prom will be a large hit to the RHS team that traveled to Pinehurst to play in the High School Golf Nationals this past month but with local legend Parker Paxton returning, as well as two young, growing superstars in Kyler Graham and Brodie Dale, the team will have a solid foundation for the next season.
“This is going to be one of the largest teams we’ve ever fielded,” RHS Golf coach, Lars Flanagan, said, “and with all that being said we only have one senior.”
With such a young team, including nine freshmen, there will be a learning curve to go along with such a tough schedule this year.
“Our boys will play every tough team in 3A or 4A in the state, and we do that purposely,” Flanagan said with regards to how confident he is in his team.
But with such a winning past under Flanagan, especially in the past decade where they’ve brought home trophies in eight of those ten years, it’s hard to count out this group of young men and women.
It’s even harder to count this team out of anything when their collective mindset is so rock-steady and focused on the here and now, not the long-term future.
“All we really work on is making sure we’re playing to the best of our ability, and not getting caught up on winning this tournament or that tournament,” Flanagan said.
Riverton High School’s golf season will be the first Fall sport to begin, and there will be plenty of information on them and their success over the course of the season, but for more information on the team, their roster, their schedule and more be on the lookout for the Fall Sports Preview coming up later this month before football season officially begins.