By Cort Reynolds
The rebuilding Ada boys golf program will be led by three experienced seniors in 2021.
Ninth-year head coach Jason Campbell welcomes back five lettermen and one newcomer to the six-man Bulldog squad this season.
Senior Andrew Rush made big strides as a newcomer in 2020 and is expected to be the top Ada player this fall.
"Andrew put in a lot of work in the off season and advanced to the number one spot," said Campbell. "He has a good all-around game and just needs to do all phases of the game in every round. He is a good ball-striker."
Senior letterman Dexter Woods returns for his another season on the links, and looks to be the number two Bulldog golfer. The southpaw is an intellectual player, says Campbell.
"Dexter has continued to improve and work on his game, especially off the tee box," said Campbell. "He hits some a long ways. If he gets the rest of his game in shape, it should be a breakout year for him."
Third senior Kamron Wilkerson is another experienced letterman back in 2021. "Kam has improved every year in his third season," Campbell offered. "I expect him to be a solid number three for us in NWC play."
Improving junior Geddes Klingler is another returning letterman. "Geddes hit a growth spurt and and it has shown in his game," said the coach. "He has gone from playing to being a student of the game, and has made a big jump."
Competitive sophomore Jack Baumgartner is the fifth letterman back in the fold.
"Jack made tremendous strides over the summer and is our most improved player since the end of the 2020 season," Campbell observed. "He has good drive and determination."
Freshman Wyatt Ferguson is the lone newcomer and rounds out the six-man squad.
"We are glad to have Wyatt out, he is a good teammate who works hard and will improve as he picks things up," said Campbell. "He is very coachable, and is a good addition to the team."
Campbell set some basic goals for the 2021 season. "We just want to get better every day and improve our skill sets. We want to be able to do better at handling adversity."
Campbell hopes to shoot in the 205-215 range as a team. "I would say Allen East is the NWC favorite," he added.
Last fall, NWC league regular season champion AE easily won the conference tournament with 323 strokes. Paulding finished a distant second at 349.
Lincolnview was third (351), followed by Bluffton (361), Columbus Grove (373) and Delphos Jefferson (383).
Ada tied for seventh with Crestview at 448 strokes, but won the fifth-man playoff tiebreaker to finish one spot ahead of the Knights.
Ada also came in 11th during the 12-team Div. III sectionals at Sycamore Springs in Findlay. Allen East won the sectional title.
Woods led Ada with a score of 108 to come in 43rd at sectionals. Rush carded a 116 total to tie for 49th. Klingler posted a 118 to finish 52nd.
Kurt Klingler joins Campbell's staff as assistant coach this season.
The 14-team Div. III sectionals are slated to be held at Sycamore Springs.
Ada golf glance
Head coach: Jason Campbell, 9th year
2020: 7th/8 at NWC meet, 11th/12 sectionals
Lettermen back/lost: 5/1
Top returnees: Sr. Andrew Rush, Sr. Dexter Woods, Sr. Kamron Wilkerson, Jr. Geddes Klingler, So. Jack Baumgartner
Top newcomer: Fr. Wyatt Ferguson
