What will Fairfield’s Brayden Miller do for an encore?
The Falcons’ senior reached the mountain top for high school golf last year after winning the state title.
Fairfield coach John Kauffman sees a relaxed and still hungry Miller as he attempts to make another run at a state championship.
“I think for Brayden all the pressure is off after winning the state title,” Kauffman said. “That is such an incredible accomplishment. The last time an area golfer won a boys title was 1939.
“However, with that being said, he certainly has his eye on returning (to state) and giving it a run again. I would put his ball striking and mental part of the game against anyone else in the state.”
Miller is looking to qualify for the state finals for an amazing fourth year in a row. As a sophomore, he finished sixth and during his freshman year Miller tied for 12th.
There’s also plenty of talent surrounding Miller. Fairfield lost only one golfer from last year’s team which finished 21-2 overall and unbeaten in the Northeast Corner Conference.
Juniors Jake Elliott, Benjamin Kio and Jasper Carl gained valuable regional experience a year ago.
“I really like what I’m seeing from the team early,” Kauffman said. “Regional experience that Elliott, Kio and Carl got last year will help us this year. We also have more juniors and sophomores that worked extremely hard last summer. It’s going to be quite a battle on who fills those last couple of varsity spots.
“We’ve been undefeated in the conference for three straight years and we’ll be battling to keep that streak going. Westview has the Haarer brothers (Silas and Luke) playing again this year, so I’m sure they’ll be looking to challenge that streak.”
In the Northern Lakes Conference, Northridge is looking to contend again for a league title and capture their fifth straight sectional title. The Raiders finished 6-1 in the NLC in 2024 and second behind Warsaw.
“I look forward to a great season this year,” said Northridge coach Ken Brewster, whose team finished 17-4 overall in matches. “Even with the loss of six seniors, I still expect us to be very competitive in the NLC and in our sectional and regional.”
Returning letterwinners are senior Alex Thompson and juniors Kaden Miller and Brayden Hershberger.
Also fighting for varsity spots are senior Jason Wickey, juniors Brayden Hershberger and Josiah Schrock, along with freshmen Cooper Kropf and Brady Riegsecker.
“We bring back some varsity experience and will rely on some newcomers to help us this season,” Brewster said. “Competition for several spots on varsity will help make this team get better as the season goes forward.”
Goshen finished 3-4 in the NLC last year and 9-7 in dual/three-way matches.
The RedHawks will be led by senior Todd Kauffman, who was an All-NLC selection last season and a regional qualifier.
Other golfers that coach Chris Arnold expects to have good years and be leaders are seniors Kendall Scott, Josh Narayan and Kael Bestul.
“Kendall, Josh and Kael have all played in a number of varsity matches and tournaments, so their experience will be vital,” said Arnold.
NorthWood returns first team All-Northern Lakes Conference golfer Caleb Vincent, along with junior Colton Rouch and sophomore Micah Schwartz.
“With no seniors and not a lot of experience on the varsity level, we will be focusing a lot on the growth of the team this year,” said Panthers coach Phil Ummel.
“Fortunately, we have some talented players and a lot of hard workers. That is a recipe for much improvement throughout the season. If things break our way, we’ll have a chance to make some noise by the end of the season.”
Concord will be under the direction of first-year coach Aaron Goldstein. For two years, Goldstein was the boys and girls golf coach at South Bend Washington.
“As the new coach, my expectations for the team are clear,” said Goldstein. “I want my players to excel not only as athletes, but more importantly, as students.”
There is some experience on the varsity roster, as the Minutemen will be led by seniors Mason Oiler, Lucas Prough and Rogan Russell, along with juniors Nathan Potter, Alex Nixon and Morgan Wyatt.
Elkhart has a roster with an abundance of experience.
At the top of the lineup will be senior Steven Webb, who was a state qualifier last year.
“Steven had a solid summer after his first state appearance last spring,” said Elkhart coach Todd King. “He’s definitely looking forward to his senior season and we are too as coaches. Steven has set positive goals for this season, with one being to return to the state tournament.”
Other returning letterwinners for the Lions are seniors Will Cochrane, Ben Miller and Gabe Kazmierczak, along with juniors Nathan Windy and Cameron Miller.
“The boys are off to a good start with focused and productive practices,” King said. “We have a solid core of experienced golfers and a strong group of newcomers. It will be exciting to see how we stack up against area teams.”
King expects his squad to face tough competition in the Northern Indiana Conference.
“The NIC is a very competitive conference,” the Lions coach said. “In order to compete, you must bring solid play to each conference match. This carries over into our sectional since most of the sectional field is made up of our conference teams.
“Our team ended up just a few strokes away from moving on to regional last year, so (qualifying for the regional) is one our team’s goals for this season.”
Defending NIC champion Penn will be led by new coach Al Hartman. Hartman spent several years as the boys and girls golf coach at South Bend Clay High School.
An experienced and talented roster makes the Kingsmen a contender for top spots in the NIC and state tournament. Hartman is looking forward to working with seniors Michael Basney, Joel Cocquyt and Colten Donze, along with juniors Corbin O’Hara and Andrew Bake and sophomores Samuel Weiss and Asher Bridwell.
“I think the expectations for Penn golf are always high,” said Hartman. “We hope to repeat as conference champions and compete for a sectional championship.
There’s plenty of change surrounding Jimtown, as the Jimmies will be led by new coach Matt LaFree, while competing in the new Indiana Northern State Conference.
“We are looking forward to competing in the INSC,” said LaFree. “The schools in the conference are very similar to us in size and resources. It will also be fun to some new courses that we haven’t seen in past years.”
Back from last year’s team are seniors Nate Crosbie, Tatsu Gravender and Nick Hoffman, along with juniors Leighton Gingerich and Rory Grantz.
“They have done a great job leading this program,” LaFree said about those five golfers.
Graduation took a away a very important piece at Elkhart Christian, as the Eagles enter the season having to replace standout performer Aiden Hibbard.
Hibbard tied for second last year at the sectional with a 76.
“This is a real turning point for us as a golf team,” said Eagles coach Matthew Starzyk. “Most of our players have had Aiden Hibbard on the team, who has been a star for ECA for the past four years. Now that he has graduated everyone has to step up and shoot better.”
Starzyk is optimistic that his team, which will be led by seniors Caleb Overmyer and Evan Overmyer, along with junior Kian Hibbard, can stay competitive inside and outside the Hoosier Plains Conference.
“I think our guys are ready for the challenge this year and really want to prove themselves,” Starzyk said.
“I’ve been preaching this year that my starting five for varsity is wide open. I think anyone who has made the team can play some varsity golf this year.
Seniors Keagan Meyer and Noah Schrock head the list of returning golfers for Bethany Christian. Both were all-conference in the HPC a year ago.
“Keagan Meyer played number one for us last year and has worked on his game over the summer,” said Bruins coach Jonathan Shenk. “He looks really good so far this spring.”
Others that should contribute are senior Emerson Landis, junior Gideon Miller and freshman Noah Subera.
“The addition of Noah will also give us a real boost,” Shenk said. “He may be playing as high as number three this year.
“I expect us to improve significantly on our 4-10 record from last year.”
In Michigan, Edwardsburg, which finished fourth in the Wolverine Conference last year, returns seniors Ben Fish, Cody Schaap, along with juniors Michael Wright, Maverick Gates and Joe Shively.
“Our men worked hard in the off-season and this team is focused on competing,” said Eddies coach Jeff Kozinski.