CLC golfers spread the wealth

Central Lakes College Raiders men's and women's golf teams like to share.

In five tournaments this season, four different men and three different women have staked claim to the best scores on their respective teams.

That kind of team depth is what the Raiders are hoping for this weekend as they compete in the Minnesota Community College Conference state tournament Sunday and the Region 13 tournament Monday. Both tournaments will be played at the Legacy Courses at Cragun's.

The men, who won the state tournament and placed second in the region a year ago, have had Joey Morgan, Ben Williams, Kyle Peterson and Bryan Kavanaugh all register top team scores at one point or another.

The men's team, which also includes Jared Carlson and Jeff Grote, will have a chance to post impressive scores this weekend.

"We need everybody to just play solid golf," Williams said. "We've got a really solid team this year. All five of our guys are capable of shooting really low numbers. We just need everybody to show up those two days and play the kind of golf they can play.

"Knowing that we've got guys who can shoot consistently in the mid to low 70s if they show up with their 'A' game is a comfortable feeling. It's possible for us to shoot in the 290s in this tournament."

One advantage the Raiders will have over the rest of the field is the location of the two tournaments. Two weeks ago CLC won a two-day tournament at the Legacy and Kavanaugh shot a 156 on his home course.

"We have a number of chances when we're practicing to hit different shots to different places," Morgan said of playing at the Legacy. "When you get to a course you've never played, sometimes you have no idea where to go, you pull out a driver and that's not even close to being the right club. So playing at the Legacy is a big advantage."

The Raider women's team has had trouble finding enough opponents to compete against, playing in only three tournaments. But CLC has dominated the tournaments it has played, winning all three.

The women's team has also shown considerable depth. Angie Johnson, Jenna Larson and Ashley Burr each have taken a turn winning medalist honors.

Heading into the weekend, both CLC teams are more worried about how they'll play individually than what another school might do.

"Usually Madison (Area Technical College) is the one team to really challenge us," said Williams. "I think we're tough as ever this year. We're not really worried about anyone else. We're just worried about ourselves and playing the kind of golf we can play."

Raiders notes

* This weekend poses a test for the Raiders' volleyball team as it goes on the road to face two key North Division opponents, Hibbing tonight and Rainy River Saturday.

CLC (5-1 North, 10-6 overall) is tied with Itasca for first place in the North with Rainy River only a game behind.

The Raiders fell to sixth in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III rankings after losing to Itasca last week. Itasca is ranked fifth.

"All division matches from now on are crucial," said Peterson. "I have a sense of parity among the top five teams and we feel lucky to be where we're at. We know that we are one of the teams to beat. Every win will make life easier for us."

* The CLC football team is off this weekend. It resumes play Oct. 11 when it hosts Minnesota West.