Warrior’s Nate Thomason begins turning heads this fall golf season
By Lenny Sementi
Golf rosters grew this fall due to football and volleyball being moved to the spring and head golf coach Toby Ring is taking full advantage of the extra players. Nate Thomason is one of those players that are expanding his horizons athletically. The freshman led the way for the Warriors in a Central Illinois Conference match this past Tuesday against Shelbyville at the always-tough Eagle Creek Golf Club.
Thomason who worked out with the football team all summer long fired 46 paring three of the six par fours on the front nine to finish first overall collecting medalist honors. The host Rams placed players in the next three spots helping them eke out a win over the visiting Warriors. Landon Banta was next in line for coach Ring followed by Jayden Gaines and Braydon Gough who tied for seventh overall. Braden Boyer and Corey Dunn rounded the links as the alternates.
“We went into the match against Shelbyville knowing the course would challenge us…and it did!!,” commented the coach. “Many of our golfers were grinding their way through the course, but they did a great job of learning what they could and could not do for the next time we go here. One bright spot of the day was Nate Thomason. He shot his best round of the year at one of the hardest courses we will play all year. Nate has shown he doesn’t get rattled by much. He’s pretty even keel all the time.”
On the girls side Marley Good were tops for the black and gold ending the day in third overall. Makenna Fiscus and Zoey Thomason followed in fourth and fifth but it was not enough as Tuscola fell to the Lady Rams. Isabelle Wilcox was the final scorer while Addisyn Ring served as the alternate.
A few nights later on Thursday TCHS hosted its first match of the year at Ironhorse Golf Club welcoming both Champaign Centennial and Paris. Fiscus was second overall leading Ring’s group to a win carding a season low 45 helping edge a strong Lady Tiger squad by two strokes. She had honors on six of the nine holes, and pared five holes including the final three of the round. Good was right behind with a season best 48 landing her in third. Wilcox was next taking fifth followed by Z. Thomason in eighth to end the scoring. Molly McCaully played the first competitive round of her career and joined with Addisyn Ring to serve as alternates.
Dunn stepped up, edging Thomason and Banta by a stroke to be the boy’s low scorer. He took seventh, firing a season best 47. Banta came out strong, paring three of the first five holes and birdied the par five fifth giving coach Ring a glimpse of what the future could hold. Gough opened his round with a par on one en-route to a 50 to post the final team score but it was not enough as the Warriors ended their day in third overall. Ty Thomason was next taking their swings as alternates.
“It was nice to be back at Ironhorse for the first time this year. We are very comfortable there,” the coach said. “Corey showed he was much better than his previous round and put together a solid round leading our team. The girls seem to be finding their way as well bringing their scoring averages down from the last two matches.”