Free State High senior Kelly Morris, left, and Lawrence High junior Leslie Queen will be looked to by their coaches to lead their younger teammates.

Of the 12 girls golfers on the city’s two high school teams, only half have any varsity experience. The coaches at both Free State High and Lawrence High don’t seem all that concerned, though. Both are hoping the returning golfers will show the younger ones the ropes early – preferably in time for the regional and state meets at season’s end.

Free State coach Craig Hershiser will be counting on senior Kelly Morris to lead the Firebirds into the 2008 fall season. Last year, FSHS qualified for the state meet as a team, and Morris played an integral role. At the Class 6A regional, she finished third. In Free State’s first tournament this season at Lake Shawnee, Morris led the Firebirds by shooting a 94.

Hershiser said last year’s team benefited from having two seniors to shoulder the responsibility. This year, he said it would be up to Morris – the only senior on the team – to lead the way.

“She’s really taken on that leadership role and been a little bit more vocal than she has been in the past,” Hershiser said. “Not that she’s a chatterbox now, but she’s showing them what to do and how to do it. We need that.”

Junior Grace Brahler is expected to be near the top with Morris. At Lake Shawnee, Brahler fired a 95, just one stroke behind her teammate. Two seasons ago as a freshman, she qualified for the state tournament as an individual. Morris and Brahler are joined by three sophomores: Serena O’Connor, Alyson Butler and Bethany Cobbs. Morris, Brahler and O’Connor all competed for the Firebirds last season at the state tournament.

Despite having a relatively young team, Hershiser said reaching state again could be a possibility, depending on how well his team adjusted for the biggest tournaments at the end of the season.

“I’d just like us to consistently improve,” he said. “Sometimes with golf, that’s difficult because you’re not always going to shoot a lower score at every tournament. We want to show up well at the two legs of our league tournament and also show up real well at the tournament we host at Eagle Bend.”

At Lawrence High, coach Mike Lewis has seven golfers this season, with three returning from last year’s team.

Junior Leslie Queen and sophomore Kathryn Lunte are the most experienced golfers and also should be the team’s top two throughout the season, according to Lewis.

The only other golfer with varsity experience is junior Mary Garzillo. Junior Kristy Gerard, sophomores Taylor Covert and Ashley Beiter and freshman Payton Covert all will be new to the Lawrence program.

Lewis said he was trying to take it slow with this year’s team because some of his golfers had yet to compete in a varsity meet.

“We’re definitely taking some small steps and just trying to not overwhelm them,” Lewis said. “They’re all quick learners, and they’re all doing a really good job of picking things up and working hard at practice. They have the potential over the next couple of years to improve a lot if they decide to keep working at it.”

Lewis said it could be a struggle at times to get four girls to break 100. His goal was to focus on learning and having fun. If all goes well, his team might even qualify a couple individuals for state.

Free State began its season Tuesday and next tees off today in the Western Hills Invitational at Washburn Rural. Lawrence began Wednesday and continues its season Tuesday with the Free State Tournament at Eagle Bend.