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RANDOLPH – This year will complete a decade for Rob Engel as head coach for the Randolph golf team and it seems the Cardinals are always in the mix come postseason.
In 2023, the team grew weekly and different players earned medals throughout the campaign.
“Current senior Bryson Eledge came up just short at districts finishing 12th and two shots out of qualifying for state,” Engel said. “Aiden Gubbels finished 15th at districts in a tough field that included the eventual state championship team in Pender. The team as a whole peaked just a bit early, finishing the previous two meets with season-best scores both times out but were unable to carry the momentum over to district day.”
Ajay Gubbels, Andy Hausmann, and Isaiah Salmon have since graduated but it doesn’t mean Randolph will be lacking talent with Aiden Gubbels and Eledge back in the fold.
Eledge was consistent last year and earned a number of medals at many meets through the spring, Engel said.
“Aiden has shown the ability to get hot at the right times, and he really hits the ball well with lots of power,” Engel said of other hotshots on the roster. “Shaw Backer improved steadily through last season and looks to be a consistent player this year.”
Landon Sporleder is another returning player with some JV experience.
Ryan Engel will contend for a varsity spot after participating in junior golf and seeing some dividends.
“Logan Lienemann is a sophomore playing his first year who has some natural athletic talent, along with freshmen Cole Jensen, Owen Junck, and Alexis Wortman who are all new to the game and excited to get out and learn to play,” Engel said. “I feel like this year we should have a solid lineup with four players who have the potential to be shooting scores in the 80s. If they can all continue to improve and become more consistent and avoid the big mistakes during the round, this will be a really fun and competitive team.”
He will be searching for that fifth spot on varsity among the newcomers, he said.
Eledge said that the team should continue in the same path as a contender at district and has the potential to be a state-tournament team.
“It’s a pretty young team, with two seniors and a junior and we will have at least one freshman in our lineup and he’s pretty good,” Eledge said. “I think a big positive is a lot of us just are kind of ones that are not really just doing it to do it. We go golfing quite a bit and spend the majority of our time golfing when it’s nice out.
With golfing, practice makes perfect, and there’s been plenty of that, he said.
“I think a lot of it is just how you know right now it’s a pretty small (town), not much to do around here, so we go golfing about every day. With golf, one of the best ways to get good is just going out golfing,” Eledge said.
All those extra rounds appear to be paying off for the senior with his shooting progressively getting better.
“State is definitely a goal for me, but it’d be nice as a whole team to go,” he said.
The Randolph Cardinals open their season next week with a tri at Laurel- Concord-Coleridge Tuesday, April 9.
