A look back at a year to remember

The 2014 Kimball High Boys' Golf Season will be a year to remember. Not that the Longhorns had an amazing team season, but they had perhaps the best One-Two punch in the history of the sport!

Coach Chad Wise had a limited squad of just five players, made up of one senior, a junior and three freshmen. The senior was four time state qualifier Henry Heeg, the junior was returning letterman Michael Ferguson, and the new comers to high school golf were Jordan Greenwood, Spencer Shields, and Kyle Spicer. Coach Wise knew he had a great player in senior Henry Heeg. He knew he had a solid player and team leader in Michael Ferguson. He knew the potential of young Greenwood based on his exploits in the junior golf program. The other two freshmen were inexperienced and anxious to learn the game.

Early in the season Ferguson missed some play due to other demands from the scholastic standpoint that required him to attend at the state level, and later he missed some more play as he battled some illness, but the team did finish high in both conference tournaments and at their own Kimball Invite.

Heeg came through as expected and then some. Greenwood had a shaky start and then exceeded all expectations. Both were state qualifiers and both were state top 15 medal winners! This is the one-two punch I mentioned at the beginning of this article.

Looking back at Heeg's illustrious season he started out with a win at the Bayard Tournament shooting a 77. He was 3rd at Mitchell with a 79, won at Bridgeport with a 76, was 3rd at Morrill with 75, won at Alliance with 72, won at Scottsbluff with 85, won the SPVA Tournament at Kimball with 74, was 5th at the WTC tournament in Gordon with an 82 (on a day he was not feeling well), was 2nd at the Kimball Invite with 74, won the District Tournament at Kimball with a career best of 69, went to state at Mahoney Golf Course in Lincoln and shot 75-74=149 to finish at 5th. Henry won 6 tournaments, was in the top ten medal group at all 12 tournament days, shot a district score of 69 for his career best, and averaged 76 a round for the season! It doesn't get much better than this and what a great senior season as he readied himself for an upcoming career of college golf as he is headed to the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California. He leaves behind a high school career and a senior season for future Kimball High golfers to try and equal.

Jordan Greenwood is already hot on the trail! The only blight on his very successful first season of high school golf was the opening tournament at Bayard where he shot a 96 and was not in the medal group. Coach Wise termed it a case of first high school tournament nerves. From that point on he was a top ten medal winner right on through district and also won a state medal with his 11th place finish as they honor the top 15 individuals at the state level. After the Bayard tournament, Jordan shot 86 at Mitchell to finish 9th, was 6th at Bridgeport with an 85, 2nd at Morrill with 74, 5th at Alliance with 79, 4th at Scottsbluff with 89, 2nd at the SPVA Conference Tournament with 77, 2nd at the WTC Conference tournament in Gordon with 79, 4th at the Kimball Invite with 79, 5th at the District Tournament in Kimball with 79, and then shot 77-76=153 as a freshman at the state tournament to finish 11th. A top group medal winner in all but one tournament. A state qualifier and a state medalist. He shot in the 70s in 8 rounds including the final 6 and wound up with an average of 81.33. Greenwood now has the opportunity to become a four year state qualifier, and a four year state medalist! This is the young man who can possibly equal, and surpass, the accomplishments of the departing Henry Heeg. What a future lies ahead. He will continue his golf with a heavy lineup of junior tournaments as he works on his game.

Speaking of work, both Henry and Jordan were busy this past week helping out with the junior program at the Hillside Golf Course in Sidney and Henry plans to continue working there this summer, but he also has plans to play some tournaments as well.

As to next year, Coach Wise is pleading for more young men to join the program and learn and enjoy the life time sport. Ferguson and Greenwood will be good leaders, Shields and Spicer are busy already this summer working on their games in the junior program and they have shown great improvement since they started. With some new freshmen coming aboard this upcoming season, boys' golf at Kimball High appears to be in good hands, and in good shape. Congrats to the two state medalists and for their outstanding seasons.