TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Suncoast Pinellas News

East Lake Golfers Eyeing Return To State

ADVERTISEMENT

By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: September 20, 2008

EAST LAKE - "You've got to play the best to be the best."

That's what East Lake High boy's golf coach Terry O'Reilly says of his team's many forays away from the Suncoast to walk the links with some of Florida's top prep programs.

Entering his fourth year guiding the Eagles and coming off a trip to the state tournament in 2007, O'Reilly recognizes that the perennial powerhouses topping the polls reside elsewhere.

Although talented high school teams certainly do exist throughout Pinellas County - Palm Harbor University, Dunedin and Northside Christian, to name a few - he believes traveling to compete against and watch the state's best, win or lose, is a necessity.

"Once you get out side of Pinellas County, it's a whole different world," O'Reilly said.

East Lake traveled Monday to Sebring for the Crutchfield/Hawkins Invitational, a tournament the Eagles won last year, and placed 12th in its 30-team division.

That finish failed to meet expectations, O'Reilly said, but was perhaps a blessing in disguise. It could show a young team what it will take to reach the Southern Dunes Golf and Country Club in Haines City, site of the Class 2A state championships, he said.

Despite losing four seniors from last season, East Lake's Top 5, led in scoring by freshman Dustin Dingus, are capable of averaging sub-40 scores per nine holes. Returning juniors Terry O'Reilly, Logan Hand, Linzy Clark and Jake Johnson round out the typical starting five.

While being a freshman with only a few varsity rounds under his belt, Dingus does not lack in confidence for himself nor his fellow teammates.

"I figured we're going to go to states this year," he said of his expectations on entering the current season. "We lost four seniors, but we're a good team. We made up for it."

Compared to last year, "talent-wise, on paper, we're a better team," O'Reilly said. "These kids have a lot of heart and they've worked hard all summer to get themselves in the best shape."

Seemingly always a key X-factor in prep sports, solid chemistry amongst this year's bunch is no deficiency either, according to both coach and players.

"We have a lot more team unity this year compared to the last couple seasons," Clark said while playing during a practice scramble round mixed in with an East Lake girl's squad that entered Wednesday with an unblemished record. "We're usually out here every day playing golf and also doing our running and endurance training together. I don't think other teams do that stuff."

Headed by first-year coach Andrea Panarelli, the Lady Eagles, too, hold similar state tournament aspirations that are fueled by their quick early-season start.

Mirroring their male counterparts, the girls' matches are also headed by a freshman, Jordan Patton, who echoed Clark's sentiments of team unity factoring into on-the-course success.

"We're all friends; there's no nerves when we play together," she said. "So we can go out there, have fun and just play our games."

Senior Kayla Gunter and junior Ashley Haight give the lone upperclassmen experience to a young, but talented roster that also regularly relies on the scoring of sophomore Brittany Gail.

As an overall program, both boys and girls, East Lake's is the largest in the county with its 23 total players. When O'Reilly took over the team in 2005, the Eagles had no official home course and a total of $0.67 in their coffers.

Now East Lake finds itself practicing in the friendly confines of the Wentworth Golf Club, Tarpon Woods Country Club and East Lake Woodlands. Through various fundraising events, their financial flexibility can be upward of $9,000 at times.

Coupled with the promising results of the past few seasons, O'Reilly wants to keep chipping away at the traditional upper-tier of high school golf programs.

He still recalls his first-ever, big team trip - to South Carolina - to supply added motivation for continually raising East Lake's status.

"We played a couple teams from Orlando up in Myrtle Beach and they asked, 'Where is East Lake,' " O'Reilly recalled. "And I remember that because I don't want anyone to say, 'Where is East Lake.' I want them to know where it is and to be in consideration as one of the best programs year after year."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT