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Panthers plan to stay on top

Lecanto has been the class of the county of late, and it sees no reason

By RICHARD BURTON
Published August 31, 2005

that shouldn't continue.

LECANTO - In the past five seasons, Lecanto has set the standard in area girls golf.

The Panthers have won or shared the Citrus/Hernando conference title in each of those years, but more importantly they followed up by advancing to the Class 2A region meet.

Last season, Lecanto's regional run ended with a fifth-place finish. And with four key contributors back, it will be looking for more of the same type of success.

"We have had good players," Panthers coach Doug Warren said.

"Most of our girls play NSJGA (North Suncoast Junior Golf Association) in the summer or take lessons from someone, but the big key is that they play a lot of golf."

With Citrus County golfers playing throughout the summer, scores have dropped not only for Lecanto but for Crystal River and Citrus as well.

The NSJGA events have allowed competitors to play 18-hole tournaments and get a chance to face players they will meet during the high school season.

"The NSJGA has made a difference in the level of play not just for us but for the entire county," Warren said.

"The girls who play in those tournaments seem to play with a lot more confidence, and you can really see it in their overall performance," he said.

Never was this more evident for Lecanto than in last year's region tournament, which came on the heels of a 10-2 regular-season record and a heartbreaker at districts.

After losing the district title to Ocala Vanguard by one stroke, the Panthers defeated the Knights by seven in the regional event.

Returnees Kari Amundson, Carly Lewis, Carla Savage and Carina Kronsis each shot five strokes under their average at districts and followed that with another stellar effort in the regional.

The leaders are Amundson and Lewis, the squad's only seniors.

Last season, Amundson carded a team-best 88 in the conference meet and Lewis was third overall at districts with an 84.

"They can certainly score well and carry the team," Warren said.

Savage, meanwhile, enters her junior year looking for big things.

"She's improved every single summer that she has been here," Warren said. "Usually, the time you see the most improvement is between a player's sophomore and junior season, so we think Carla should have an excellent year."

Improvement seems to be the name of the game for the Panthers.

After going from seventh to sixth to last year's fifth-place regional finish, the Panthers hope to take even more steps. To do so, Lecanto must contend with state powers Daytona Beach Seabreeze and Winter Park Howell.

First, the Panthers must advance out of a district that features Vanguard, Ocala Forest, Belleview and Ocala Lake Weir among others.

"Regionals always seem to be where you really run into some tough teams, and it is where we have struggled in the past," Warren said.

"We have a good group of girls, and we are looking for them to get better and better as the season goes on."

[Last modified August 31, 2005, 01:42:32]