Lawrence High girls golf coach Mike Lewis doesn’t mind sharing.

And that’s a good thing, because when it comes to his top golfer, sophomore Sydney Wilson, he’s going to have to share. Wilson is tackling two sports again this fall, playing both volleyball and girls golf for the Lions.

Her schedule might be different than her teammates’, but that didn’t seem to hinder her golf game last year. She qualified for state by placing second at regionals and just missed all-state honors by placing 21st.

Wilson accomplished all this as a ninth grader at Southwest Junior High.

This year, Wilson and Lewis both seem to have the juggling act down.

“I think our plan is for her to make five or six tournaments,” Lewis said. “Between her volleyball schedule and her golf, we’ll select the tournaments that will be best suited for her to focus on in preparation for regionals.”

Though Wilson has emerged as the Lions’ top gun, LHS does have depth. Junior Whitney Juneau and senior Kelly Jacob look to round out the top three, both having been varsity golfers all last season.

After that, it’s mainly seniors looking to complete the varsity lineup, and Lewis likes the experience — especially considering that the Lions won’t play any courses this year they haven’t already played before.

“Our tournaments haven’t changed,” Lewis said. “That should give us a little bit of an advantage mentally. One thing we won’t have to focus on is learning the course.”

Free State junior Amanda Enneking, left, and Lawrence High senior Amy Mowery take aim at the cup. Both the Firebirds and Lions will open Thursday at the Shawnee Heights Invitational.

The Lions will open Thursday in the Shawnee Heights Invitational at Lake Shawnee.

Free State

The Free State High girls golf team will no doubt be rebuilding this season after losing five seniors and having a low turnout this year.

But, as coach Craig Hershiser says, that’s just fine.

“We’re pretty young and inexperienced,” Hershiser said. “But we’ve got some kids who want to play golf, and they come to practice every day to work on their game and get better. As long as we have that healthy mindset, we’ll be all right.”

Hershiser admits that competing will be a challenge with just a handful of girls out for the team. Among those the Firebirds lost was Ashley Johnson, a two-time state qualifier.

It makes the approach to coaching a little different, but Hershiser insists that his team is going to have a good time, and they’re going to make strides, too.

“We want to stress improvement on a weekly basis,” Hershiser said. “We need an understanding that this is a fun game to play, but there can be frustrations. One day you can strike the ball well, and other days you just won’t. You have to understand that that’s the nature of the game.”

Free State, like Lawrence High, opens Thursday at the Shawnee Heights Invitational at Lake Shawnee.

Among the highlights of the Firebirds’ schedule is the Eagle Bend Invitational, an annual tournament they run, which will take place on Sept. 11.