On Oct. 6^th, early into the golf season, the IHS Boys’ Varsity Golf Team played against Newport High School on the Newcastle Golf Course driving range, an elevated and rough course, full of hills and valleys. The Eagles managed to make an impressive 190; however, the Newport Knights were able to make the final winning score of 188, resulting in a loss for the IHS Boys’ Team

Being an away game, IHS had a natural disadvantage, but the boys were able to play well enough for the final score to be a mere two point difference. Due to the sheer size of some of the course holes, some of the duos doubled up on one course, waiting for those ahead to finish before starting. The weather was rather chilly but mostly windless conditions, with some sun coming out later in the game, allowing the players to not have to worry about ball interference,

With the mid-season still being a good time for player improvements, junior Danny Auttart stated, “I need to practice on my swing, dial it in a bit”, as during most of the match, some of Auttart’s shots missed their mark by a noticeable margin, though his putting was more often than not rather impressive.

Auttart’s partner for the match, senior Colin Lenhardt reacted to the final hole by saying, “I was a little frustrated with my putting,” after missing a few short-range putts by potentially being too hasty. Many of the holes were on or near an elevated hill, which only hurt putters’ chances of making it in from long range. In the end, the combined effort of the team’s players resulted in such a close game almost anything could have affected the ending result. When asked, both players stated that they were “a bit frustrated” at their performance.

In order to get into such a team, potential players were put through a tough regiment to get in. Coach Jake Crowley explained the method of deciding who would join, “Kids played 54-66 holes, that all got into qualifying data.” Over the qualifying rounds that consisted of three courses, potential players were weeded out and eventually the final team was decided, starting their first games in early September and continuing all through the month of October.