Spring Sports Preview: SHS Golf
2014 record in league, overall: Boys — 6-2, third in Olympic League; three athletes to state 2A tourney; Girls — 7-2, 8-4; two athletes to districts, one to 2A state tourney
Head coaches: Boys — Bill Shea (seventh year); Girls — Gary Kettel (2015-current, 1994-2006)
Returners: Boys — Jade Arnold, Arnold Black, Alex McCracken, Travis Priest, Jack Shea, Connor Titterness; Girls — Kelly Anders, Brianna Kettel, Alex McMenamin, Megan O’Mera, Kailee Price
Newcomers: Boys — Josiah Carter, Jonathan Stipe, Garrett Wehr and Jazz Weller; Girls — Sydney Balkan, Angela Carrillo-Burge, Mikaela Dodson, Grace Hurdlow, Sarah Shea, Samantha Smith
Key league competition: Boys — Klahowya, Port Angeles, Olympic; Girls — Kingston, Port Angeles, North Mason
Just two events in and Sequim’s best boy and girl golfers are on par with their performances last year.
Junior Jack Shea and sophomore Alex McMenamin led the Wolves and all golfers at the season opening Jamboree on March 10 and their first Olympic League meet on March 11 against Kingston.
McMenamin, who earned third last year at the state 2A tournament as a freshman and was named Olympic League MVP, leads the
Sequim squad of 11 girls including seniors Brianna Kettel and Kailee Price, who made districts last year.
McMenamin said she continued to work on her game, particularly her shot shape and putting, since last year.
“I’m feeling pretty good about this season,” she said.
Coaches think McMenamin has a good shot to do even better this year with many of her challengers graduated.
Girls coach Gary Kettel, who coached from 1994-2006, takes over for Garrett Smithson who led Sequim girls to five league titles and saw three top-10 state finishes, said McMenamin feels she can do better.
“She didn’t shoot her best,” he said. “She has her sights on being No. 1 in state.”
McMenamin said she didn’t think she’d place third.
“I thought I would shoot better,” she said. “I had a lot of high score holes but it was exciting to place that high. (This year), I can’t really say where I’d place. Preferably I’d like to shoot in the 70s and not 85 and 86.”
Outside of McMenamin, Kettel said eight girls shot in the 50s in their second match and he believes they can shoot even lower.
“A lot of these girls don’t practice year-round so it takes a couple of weeks to knock the rust off,” he said.
After a hiatus from coaching, Kettel said he wanted to return because he missed the students.
“I enjoy seeing them improve, mature and just get better,” he said.
“(Smithson) really built the program up with good returning upperclassmen and we have four freshmen. We should do really well this year.”
Boys side
As integral players graduate another group moves into place for the Wolves.
This season, Sequim lost three seniors including state-qualifier Jesse Francis, but brings back Shea and Travis Priest, both state-qualifiers, and Alex McCracken, a districts competitor.
“I think our squad is always strong,” head coach Bill Shea said.
“Jack is fired up and he and Travis and Alex and Jade Arnold all played some in the offseason.”
Jack Shea was named all-league last year and just missed the cut at the state 2A tournament placing 86th while Priest placed 90th.
Bill Shea said he likes how the boys started off this season.
“Jack was two under at the Jamboree and one over against Kingston and Travis (Priest) was one under and nine over,” he said.
As for the newcomers, four freshmen, they are doing great, he said.
“Course management is always a big part of it,” Bill Shea said. “Understanding how to get around the course is important.”
Looking ahead, Bill Shea said a good test on how well the boys will do comes today, March 18, against Port Angeles.
“We won our first match by 30 points, which says we’re doing well,” he said. “We do expect a little better performance.”
Regardless, Bill Shea said he expects the Wolves to finish in the top three in the Olympic League.
“It all depends on how we play. Best case, we win the league and the worst case scenario is we get third,” he said.
Jamboree, first meet
Sequim boys took second in their first event of the year hosting a Jamboree on March 10 at The Cedars at Dungeness. Jack Shea led all shooters with 2 under par (35) on nine-holes followed by Travis Priest at 1-par shooting a 36. Sequim’s other top scorers were Josiah Carter (53) and Arnold Black and Jade Arnold at 54. Port Angeles won the event with Port Townsend third and Olympic fourth.
The Roughriders’ Alex Atwell and Austin Peterson both shot a 39 and Alex Brown a 40. Zack Glover led Port Townsend with a 42 and CJ Lagat and Roger O’Hara paced Olympic with 42 each.
Sequim girls won their Jamboree with Alex McMenamin leading all scorers with a 38 followed by Brianna Kettel shooting a 50. Sequim’s other top finishers were Kailee Price (55) and Kelly Anders and Megan O’Mera shooting 59 each. Maddie Boe and Olivia Due led Port Angeles with 64 each while Olympic’s Ellie Wolfe shot a 52 and Abby Magee shot 53.
Both Sequim squads won their first Olympic League meets of the year with home wins over Kingston on March 11. Shea, again, led the boy Wolves in the 330-367 win shooting 73 on 18 holes followed by Priest (81) and Arnold (85). The Buccaneers’ Caleb Start shot an 81 followed by Nolan Setterlund an 88.
The Lady Wolves won 96-68 in Stableford scoring with McMenamin shooting four over par (41), Kelly Anders a 50 and Kettel a 52. Kindra Smith led the Buccaneers with a 47.
This week, the boys travel to Port Angeles on March 18 and host Chimacum on March 24. The girls hosted Port Angeles on Tuesday and travel there on today, March 18. Their next match won’t be until April 8 in Port Townsend.
