It is the girls golf’s turn to begin their road to the State Meet. Knoxville will head to Oskaloosa for the class 3A regional. The Panthers will join 11 other teams at Edmundson and the Panthers Caelie Smith is looking to make her 2nd straight State Meet as an individual. However the team is also looking to make the State Meet as well. Coach Barry Smith tells KNIA/KRLS Sports the physical toll it takes in one thing, but he also wants girls to stay mentally sharp and keep their focus for the entire round.
Smith: “It’s really the mental mindset it’s going to take this many hours to play the round, and hopefully they have a group they enjoy and it makes the time go faster. I remind the girls to stay focused and not to get up or down about anything.”
Meanwhile the Boys of Summer along Panther Drive get a jump on the season with a trip to Ballard to start things off. Knoxville is coming off a 22-11 season that saw the Panthers finish 2nd in the South Central Conference. Coach Turner Devore returns nearly all of his pitching staff that produced a 2.54 ERA and struck out 235 batters. Offensively Knoxville returns its top four hitters led by Lincoln Norris who had 49 and led the team with a .441 batting average. Stay tuned to KNIA/KRLS for information on the Boys and Girls of Summer on Panther Drive and find a broadcast schedule for games on 95.3 KNIA on our Live Radio Sports Guide on kniakrls.com
