If you have a six-car train and have one car missing, it is always best that the absent piece be the final one in the order.
That is exactly the case facing Perry boys golf head coach Nick Field, who will open the season with five returning letter winners, a quintet that will almost certainly begin the campaign holding down the first five spots.
Senior Noah Wilkening will lead the way, with juniors Connor Nielsen and Luke Rathje, senior Dane McCarty and junior Tanner Duffy filling the next four spots. Field currently has a roster of 13 players out for the sport.
“It will be those five, probably in that order,” Field said. “I am not sure yet on the sixth, but the two guys likely to fight for it are Tyler Soll (a senior) and Brady Iben (freshman).”
Veteran leadership will and experience will be critical for the Bluejays this year, especially as the team seeks greater consistency, an area that has plagued the squad for the past few seasons.
“Our biggest strength will be the five returning lettermen and the experience they bring,” Field said. “We usually have Noah playing very consistently, but the rest are more hit-and-miss. Our greatest challenge will be getting four guys to perform their best at the same time.”
So much of the season, particularly in the early stages, is dependent on weather conditions, one area where more veteran teams — used to playing in poor conditions — can take advantage of younger squads.
Perry will be visited by Ballard April 4 in their season opener, and will be joined by Des Moines Christian in visiting Greene County April 6.
The annual Bluejay Invitational is scheduled for April 22, with the Witmer-Dunphy Coed Invitational slated for April 24.
