Titans look to improve with everyone back and new coach

• Lance Pender

Press File Photo Dickinson Trinity senior Lance Pender return as state-tournament qualifier. The Class B boys golf season gets under way next week.

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The Dickinson Trinity boys golf team wasn’t impressed with its finish at the Class B state tournament last year.

But with everyone back and a new head coach behind them, the Titans are anxious to get back on the course.

“We’ve got a young pretty solid team this year,” Trinity head coach Tyler Reisenauer said. “We’ve got high expectations and I think they do too.”

Reisenauer is in his first season as Trinity’s head coach, but many of the golfers are familiar with the new coach as he served as the Heart River Golf Course club professional during the summer of 2009.

“I’ve got a pretty good relationship with them,” Reisenauer said. “I understand them and know where their games are.”

The lone senior on the Trinity’s roster, Lance Pender, knows the team he’s been on since he was a seventh-grader is going to benefit from Reisenauer’s instruction.

“When we found out he was going to be our coach it was pretty exciting,” Pender said. “He’s already been a lot of help. It’s pretty exciting to see where the season is going to take us with him.”

However, some of the younger golfers, like eighth-grader Willy Jahner, are just as excited to see what the season can bring for the Titans.

“We are pretty solid,” said Jahner, who was on Trinity’s varsity last season. “Tyler being coach is going to help a lot.”

The one area the first-year head coach doesn’t have to worry about is starting the season in inclement weather. All the golfers were able to play before practice officially started two weeks ago, which should bode well going into the season.

The Class B season for Region 5 teams begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday with the Killdeer Invitational at Medicine Hole Golf Course.

“We’ve been pretty fortunate,” Reisenauer said. “I don’t remember the last time we were golfing in March. Hopefully it holds up for us and we don’t get a snowstorm like we usually do.”

Though if the weather does take a turn for the worse, Jahner believes the set of skills passed down by Reisenauer should be able to help the team make any shot.

“Being able to golf a lot before tournaments just helps,” Jahner said. “Even if the weather is bad, Tyler is going to teach us to hit some low shots into the wind.”

With only one senior on the team, Reisenauer is expecting a lot from Pender, who finished in a tie for sixth place at last year’s state tournament.

“We want him to lead by example for the younger kids,” Reisenauer said. “We’ve got an eighth-grader, freshman, I mean we’re pretty young. He’s the only senior. We want to show these guys and help these guys, because he’s been there since the seventh grade.”

Trinity returns its whole team that reached last year’s state tournament — and the Titans left a lot of room for improvement.

Junior Nathaniel Knopik finished in a tie for 42nd, Jahner was 60th, freshman Connor Friske finished 87th and juniors Travis Heidt (92nd) and Dalton Soehren (130th) rounded out the team.

With a year of experience under their belts, Reisenauer is expecting solid production out of the golfers.

“Just having the experience in those tournaments and playing with kids from the east,” Reisenauer said. “The east is notorious for having better players. They play in the junior tournament. They have that experience and that helps in the high school season.”

Though the Titans went to state last year, Pender knows the team has to earn the right to get back to take care of some unfinished business.

“It’s actually very helpful,” Pender said. “We’ve made it to state since I was a freshman. Hopefully we can do something good at state after we do some work at regionals.”

Tags: high school golf, trinity titans, sports, golf