MANSFIELD — It may not rival the teams of the early 2000s, but it’s a start.
Or, in this case, it’s a restart.
The St. Peter’s golf team is back after taking a one-year hiatus. The Spartans didn’t field a team in 2013, primarily because there wasn’t enough interest among the student population.
The spark has been rekindled this fall.
“We have nine kids out this year, which is a good place to start,” said coach Jeff Strang, who has coached just about every sport St. Peter’s has offered at one time or another during a career that has spanned four decades. “We don’t have any freshmen on the roster, which is a concern because if we are going to re-establish the program the interest has to come from the younger levels.”
It wasn’t long ago that the St. Peter’s golf program was the toast of Richland County. The Spartans made the first of three consecutive trips to the Division III state tournament in 2000, finishing sixth behind the play of talented freshman Tom Ballinger (sixth individually). The Spartans made return trips to state in 2001 and 2002, finishing third both years. Individually, Ballinger was seventh in 2001 and tied for fourth in 2002.
Ballinger qualified for the state meet again in 2003, finishing sixth at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course and becoming a four-time All-Ohioan before embarking on a successful collegiate career at Kent State.
Ethan Keller represented St. Peter’s at state in 2008. He finished in a tie for 32nd place at Foxfire Golf Club.
“St. Peter’s has a proud tradition in golf,” athletic director Frank Gordon said. “We’ve had some great teams that finished on the podium and some great individuals who have represented the program well.
“For whatever the reason, the interest just wasn’t there last year.”
This year’s roster includes seniors Nick Bishop, Josh Bradshaw, Chris Marek and Reid Studer, junior Jacob Randall and sophomores David Courts, Christopher Dillon, Brady Rice and Keaton Sanjur.
Jump starting the program began in earnest last spring.
“We started by asking, ‘Who has golf clubs?’ ” Strang said.
St. Peter’s finished 10th at the season-opening Colt Classic at Deer Ridge Golf Club earlier this month. Rice led the way with a 104, followed by Courts (109), Sanjur (127) and Bishop (130).
The Spartans will be in action again Friday at the Tyger Invitational at Twin Lakes, along with Mansfield Senior, Madison, Clear Fork, Crestview and Ontario.
“Most of our kids have never played high school golf before. This is an all new experience for them,” Strang said. “They are getting better. Our goal is to get the kids playing again.
“I ask them to take it seriously, but also have fun and leave the course in better condition than they found it.”
For Strang, who has taught at St. Peter’s for 38 years, this season marks a return to the game.
I coached golf for 16 years and then I took 16 years off. That should tell you something about how old I am,” Strang joked. “This is my 46th season of coaching one sport or another at St. Peter’s.”
The longtime coach would like to see St. Peter’s return to prominence.
“We are improving every day,” Strang said. “Hopefully we can rebuild the program and make it what it once was.”
