East's busy O’Doherty, Louch take lessons from golf
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BY KEN HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star
Sure, high school golf sounds like the perfect sport.
You get out of school to practice and play. Play for free. Heck, some schools even give you golf balls. No laps to run. No grunting with the weights.
But that’s not the golf that Jacqueline O’Doherty and Sara Louch chose.
Coach: Andrea Carlson.
Returning letterwinners: Jacqueline O’Doherty, so.; Sara Louch, jr.; Carli Halstead, jr.
Newcomers: Natalie Brening, jr.; Megan Parchman, jr.
Comment: Replacing two of the top players in the state will be hard, but plenty of hard work should make the Spartans tough.
Lincoln High
Coach: Sam Sharpe.
Returning letterwinners: Chelsea Hays, sr.; Christine Luethje, sr.
Newcomers: Ariel Blackman, fr.; Erin Fields, fr.; Claire Karsting, fr.; Courtney Mangers, fr.
Comment: Freshmen Blackman and seniors Hayes and Luethje provide some experience in tournament play.
Lincoln Lutheran
Coach: Allison Garrett.
Returning letterwinners: Samantha Erks, jr.; Nakita Dolezal, jr.; Amy Swearer, jr.; Shelby Backhus, jr.
Newcomers: Molly Doak, so.; Allison Stock, jr; Alix Christensen, so.; Brynn Dailey, jr.; Allison Shipman, fr.
Comment: Swearer finished sixth at state last year and leads an experienced team that shows promise.
North Star
Coach: Kelly Georgius.
Returning letterwinners: Maggie Hahn, sr.; Lindsey Flodman, jr.; Kelsey Grundman, jr.
Newcomer: Sara Dillard, so.
Comment: This team is searching for depth. Experience will be valuable this season.
Northeast
Coach: Tom Ochsner.
Returning letterwinners: Macie McIntosh, sr.; Anna Haxby, sr.; Melissa McIntosh, so.
Newcomers: Erin Serafin, jr.; Kelsay Marshall, jr.
Comment: A mix of experienced and new players should give the Rockets an improving team throughout the season.
Pius X
Coach: Steph Kolbas.
Returning letterwinners: Lindsay Determan, sr.; Caitlin Fieselman, so.; Ellen Larsen, jr.
Comment: With two players from last year’s state tournament team, Pius X has hopes of returning to state this year.
Southeast
Coaches: Spencer Duncan and Carol Goans.
Returning letterwinners: Claire Mueller, sr.; Chelsea Peck, sr.; Jenna Krieger, sr.; Virginia Murphy, sr.
Newcomer: Tori Parent.
Comment: With four returning letterwinners from a team that finished seventh at state, Southeast looks to be one of the strongest teams in the city.
Southwest
Coach: Jim Danson.
Returning letterwinners: Jenna Wiese, sr.; Elizabeth Sundberg, so.
Newcomers: Emma Mabry, fr.; Gentry Carveth, fr.; Natie Riggs, jr.
Comment: The team is very young and inexperienced, but with plenty of potential.
Schedule
Sept. 2—Pius X Invitational (Wilderness Ridge); 5—Grand Island Invitational, Tri County Invitational; 11—Lincoln Golf Classic; 18—Northeast Invitational (Mahoney); 19—Fremont/Norfolk Invitational; 23—LPS Championships (Pioneers); 26—Spartan Invitational; Ashland Invitational.
Oct. 2—Heartland Conference (Pioneers); 6—Districts; 13-14—State Tournament, Norfolk.
The two Lincoln East golfers played in their first tournament of the season Thursday at Holmes Golf Course.
Almost as soon as the tournament was over, Louch headed home to practice saxophone. Thursday night, she marched with the Spartan band at halftime of the Lincoln East-Millard South football game at Seacrest Field.
Louch also plays piano and is in choir and is a member of the East bowling team.
For O’Doherty, once the tournament ended she went home to study. She also plays on the Spartan tennis team and is a freestyle swimmer on the swim team.
“I think the things you learn in golf are life lessons that you can apply to everything you do,” O’Doherty said. “I learned patience from golf. I also learned that I have to manage my time to participate in sports and student council.”
For Louch, learning patience in golf helped in another way.
“Learning to be patient in golf actually helped me in math,” she said.
Both Louch and O’Doherty took up golf at an early age.
Louch said she “started” in golf when she rode in the golf cart as her dad, Kelly Louch, and grandfather, Don Louch, played.
“My grandpa bought me clubs but I never got to play with him before he died, but I feel I want to play even more because of him,” Louch said.
O’Doherty finished 15th and Louch 18th in the Lincoln East Kickoff tournament that featured many of the top teams in the state.
Beatrice, led by Betsy Havekost and Sydney Moran, took top honors in the team competition, followed by Fremont and Millard North.
Lincoln Southwest was the top local team, placing fourth in the lightning-shortened nine-hole tournament. Lincoln High’s Ariel Blackman was the top local finisher in sixth place.
Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7313 or khambleton@journalstar.com.
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