Boys golf: Mitchell gets past River Ridge

Every team has its good and bad rounds.

Mitchell's bad rounds still earn them victories, though.

Such was the case Tuesday as the Mustangs boys golf team defeated River Ridge 165-184 on the Royal Knights' home course, Seven Springs in New Port Richey.

"Their best days, (the players) shoot 40 or better," River Ridge coach Mike Marlin said, "and on their bad days they'll still shooing 44. ... Thing is, they don't have a great golfer, but they have nothing but solid golfers. They're all pretty good golfers and their bad scores still beat people."

Despite being called rusty by their coach, the Mustangs (3-0) were led by freshman Peyton Schaefer, who shot a low-round 40. Coach Rick Hyatt was pleased to see that from a young player, as well as getting usable scores from more than six players throughout the match.

"We were rusty after the long weekend," Hyatt said, "but we have guys making a case to be in the lineup at the end of the year going into conference."

Schaefer's brother Isaac, a senior and Mitchell's No. 1 golfer for roster purposes, shot a 42, along with Chad Dautzenberg and James Pittman. Dylan Strout added a 41. For the Royals Knights (1-2), Jordan Jones had a 41, No. 1 Chris Dodson shot a 45 and Jared Linville and Kyle Vespa had a 46 and 52, respectively.

River Ridge is a young team with limited experience, but Marlin said two golfers were sick Tuesday, including Dodson, who had a respiratory infection that affected his breathing.

"He came to me this morning and said, 'Ill be there to play. I don't know how well I'll do, but I'll be there,'" said Marlin, in his seventh season at River Ridge.

"He'll play no matter what. But a 45 is not what we expect out of him, either."

Another score Marlin expects to shrink is the team's overall one. He said they'll shave off 10-15 strokes of their 184 from Tuesday, with the team consistently shooting 175 or lower. Marlin says the scores will need to come down before the conference tournament, which the Royal Knights host at Seven Springs.

"We're a much better team than we were Tuesday," Marlin said. "We're going to take our lumps this year, especially when have some freshmen and sophomores who were just going to play a handful of matches. Instead, they'll be asked to score well regularly. We're going to have to - and we will - get better as the year goes along."

Hyatt said the Mustangs hit the ball well but couldn't sink putts, despite the greens being in excellent shape.

"When you're rusty," Marlin added, "the first thing to go is your putting, after your short game."

Though Marlin didn't hold pratice Monday because of Labor Day, the Mustangs did play in an 18-team invitational Saturday, hosted by East Lake. They finished sixth after an 18-hole round.

However, that seems to be Mitchell's style. It starts off slowly, despite the 3-0 record. Those mid-40s scores steadily drop, and by the end of the season and heading into the postseason, the Mustangs start to have great rounds.

"I wouldn't say we're right where we ant to be, but we do this every year," said Hyatt, who's in his fifth season at Mitchell. "We always pick up steam as the season goes along. These scores can get better, but they're still good and its encouraging to see these numbers from everyone.

"(This weekend's invitational) gave me a glimpse of what we're capable of, and I was impressed that even the younger guys held their own for a whole round."