Independence girls’ golf coach Karl Schuld could hardly believe it when his team beat Avon Lake on Monday with a program best score of 176.
Imagine what was going through his mind after Tuesday’s match against Perry where the Blue Devils cruised to a 165-202 win.
“Every single day somebody on this team is doing something that just amazes me,” Schuld said. “It’s just unbelievable to see the growth of these kids and how fast they’re coming around and what they’re capable of doing. It just shocks me.”
The program, in just its second year of competition, is on the fast track to powerhouse status.
Sophia Trombetta has quickly established herself as one of the top players in Northeast Ohio and she’s just a sophomore. Lyndsay Blum, another sophomore, is right behind her.
Trombetta and Blum carded match-low scores of 35 and 37, respectively, against Perry while Madeline Mindzora, a freshman, finished with a lifetime best score of 45. Bryleigh Wise, a junior, shot 48 and Kaylie Kemenyes recorded a 50. Maddie Harper shot 53.
“It’s crazy,” Schuld said. “When you’ve got your fifth scorer at 50, and anything can happen when you get to 50; one shot here and you’re under 50. My number six player shot 53. Compare that really to anybody else’s sixth player in the league and we’re getting them by a minimum of 15 shots.”
Trombetta spent time on Monday night with her personal golf coach and arrived at school ready to compete.
“She said she thinks she had some things figured out,” Schuld said. “I guess she got some things fired up. I knew she was going to have a good day today when she came in grinning from ear to ear. Everything went well. She said she knows what she was doing wrong. She got a bad bounce and ended up with a weird bunker shot on six to get a double bogey on that hole but she finished with even par.”
The rest of the Blue Devils weren’t far behind.
“I honestly believe we sort of won it on the first hole when Sophia, Lyndsay, Bryleigh, Kaylie, Madeline and Maddie all hit the ball straight down the middle and had a beautiful drive,” Schuld said. “I think their girls were going, ‘What the heck?’ Every single one of them was so sharp today early on. They had a couple rough holes but overall they had phenomenal scores.”
Independence improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Chagrin Valley Conference. The Blue Devils finish the week with league matches against West Geauga and Hawken on Wednesday and Thursday.
