For the first time in school history, Tenino has a boys golf team. And for the first time ever, the Beavers held a home match on Tuesday at Tahoma Valley Golf Course in Yelm.
Facing 1A Evergreen League rival Hoquiam, the Beavers took a 178-246 loss. But for Tenino coach Del Sandberg and his team, Tuesday’s match was more about the start of an era rather than winning or losing.
Sandberg has been with the team just two weeks, and coming off a four-day break, he was pleased with how his team performed in its inaugural match against a seasoned Grizzlies squad.
“They were pretty nervous,” Sandberg said. “But they settled down and said they had a great time, a lot of fun and they learned a lot.”
The team has seven varsity players, made up almost entirely of underclassmen, with four freshmen and two sophomores. One player had never touched a golf club until last Monday.
Jaxon Gore led the Beavers with a score of 58, while David Dallaire shot a 60 and Ethan Baxter and Preston Snider each finished at 64.
Sandberg said he’s already seeing a willingness to learn and get better from his players, something he thinks will encourage growth over the course of the season.
“For me, as a coach, they’re very coachable and they listen,” Sandberg said. “We’re going to see some big improvement in the next month.”
The Beavers have nine more matches scheduled this season, starting with another home meet against La Center at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 14, at Tahoma Valley Golf Course in Yelm.
