The Blake Boys’ Golf Team in the last few years has been nothing short of incredible. Coached by Marshall Hoiness, and led by golfers Reece Sanders ‘17, who won state individually in 2015, Derek Hitchner ‘18, who won state individually last year, and Ian Murray ‘17, who averaged 37 shots on nine holes. They have been able to win state as a team two years in a row, and are looking for the ever elusive three-peat this year. In addition to this, Hitchner recently committed to Pepperdine, and Sanders is committed to the University of Minnesota.
Hitchner comments on what has allowed Blake to be so good in the last few years, he says “I think we had a great season last year, for a few reasons: We have had a great coach, Marshall Hoiness, and some great individual players that really support and get along well with each other, making us a cohesive team.” Hitchner does a fantastic job summing up what makes Blake so great: Multiple amazing golfers as well as great team play and coaching.
Head Coach Marshall Hoiness adds onto what Hitchner says. He comments, “Our success comes from confidence, talent, and very hard work by each and every player on the varsity.”
Blake is currently in the AA division of golf. However, there is also a AAA division that the team could be moved into. This division has roughly three times the amount of kids trying out, according to Marshall Hoiness. Sanders believes that moving into AAA would be alright for BBG. He confidently proclaims “We simply are one of the best teams in the state. It’s golf, not football. We would still be winning in AAA the same amount that we do in AA. We are routinely ranked either #1 or #2 in the state as a team.”
Although Sanders believes very strongly in AAA, Hitchner was more reserved about moving into this more competitive division. He says “I think that our current team would do great in AAA due to the great wave of players we’ve had for the last couple of years, but it’s hard to say whether or not moving to AAA would be best for the program in the future, especially given the size of our school.” BBG begins tryouts on April 10 and the team’s first meet will be on April 18 against Mounds Park Academy at Hillcrest Country Club.
