Golf team continues strong start

Two weeks into the season, the Green River High School golf team is off to a fantastic start, according to Head Coach Karly Eyre, and she's excited to see where they go from here.

"We're really excited because these kids have worked really hard," Eyre said. "Lots of them have put in extra time to catch up to our returners, and our returning kids have put in the work to stay on top of things."

The team is led by Isabell Salas and Ryker Mele, who have both stepped up and worked hard through the summer and the start of the season, Eyre said. She expects Salas to stay low in her rounds throughout the season and be a contender for the state title individually. Eyre also pointed out Mele got All-Conference honors last year and will likely push for All-State this year.

"They've kind of led the way in how to act and how to treat each other and how to motivate each other, work for each other," Eyre said of Salas and Mele. "So we're starting to feel like a family again, which is a big thing that I push for."

Eyre is also excited about the new talent on the team and the incoming kids who are "working their tails off to catch up" to their more experienced team members like Salas and Mele.

"It's hard to pinpoint just one kid because all of them worked so hard this summer," Eyre said.

She did, however, point out the improvement of several team members, noting Tyler Castillon played last spring and put in work over the summer, Mylie Mele is a freshman whose "raw talent right now is just incredible," Asthon Lucero and Kaleb Gunter had an eye-opening freshman season last year and "we're going to see amazing things from them," and Zayn Draney and Taylor Jenny both practiced through the summer as well.

Eyre pointed out the importance of the kids being dedicated and practicing over the summer since the golf season is so quick, and said she's excited about the work they put in and the progress they've made.

"The way things are running this year for us, it's a smoother transition from summer into this," Eyre said. "It's fantastic. And we have great kids - great kids, great parents. It's a solid program that I'm super proud of."

Eyre also expressed her appreciation for her assistant coaches Ed and Danielle Salas, saying they work hard and help coordinate things like summer tournaments and camps in addition to providing connections in the golf world. Through their connections, the Salases have had the chance to talk to college coaches, who have encouraged the team to focus on stats.

"So we have our kids really zeroed in on that," Eyre said, explaining focusing on stats is one thing the entire team is working on improving. "What's nice about it is our high level kids can take those stats and do good things with them. Our beginning kids that are really working to get caught up with everybody, those can be a good focusing point to help them get those gains."

While the team will continue working on improving stats through the season, they've already seen success so far. Last weekend they had their second week of competition in Star Valley, participating in the two-day Star Valley Invite last Thursday and Friday. Eyre explained the team competed at the Cedar Creek golf course in Thane and the Star Valley View golf course in Afton. The two courses gave the team members a chance to work on course management and find ways to improve, according to Eyre.

The Star Valley Invite went well for the team overall, with Salas taking first for the girls by 37 strokes, and the boys team finishing higher than they have in a long time, according to Eyre.

"I think in the years that I've been coaching it's been a while since I've had so many in the 80s and the 90s and not have anyone in the hundreds," Eyre said of the boys. "So that's a big improvement for us as a team."

This weekend the team will head to Evanston to play at the Purple Sage course, which Eyre said will be challenging for most of the team members since they haven't played there before. However, it will also be the team's first chance to have a two-day tournament at the same course, which Eyre said will help the team members learn how to improve from day to day instead of just week to week.

"Every course has its own challenge that's gonna help us build towards state where it's all coming down to course management and choices," Eyre said. "They're playing some hard courses with some good competition, but it's just gonna boost us into a really place for our postseason."

Star Valley Invite Results

Girls

Isabell Salas (first overall): Round one 76, Round two 74, Total 150

Taylor Jenny: Round one 112, Round two 113, Total 225

Mylie Mele: Round one 138, Round two 131, Total 269

Girls total (fourth overall): Round one 326, Round two 318, Total 644

Boys

Ryker Mele (seventh overall): Round one 83, Round two 83, Total 166

Ashton Lucero: Round one 91, Round two 88, Total 179

Kaleb Gunter: Round one 99, Round two 88, Total 187

Zayn Draney: Round one 110, Round two 92, Total 202

Tyler Castillon: Round one 109, Round two 101, Total 210

Boys total (fourth overall): Round one 382, Round two 351, Total 733