Mt. Vernon’s Nils Erkmanis lines up a putt.
Mike Brown | For The Daily Reporter
FORTVILLE — Mt. Vernon boys golf coach Tom Kirby sees a chance his Marauders could have a very strong team this season, but he also sees there needs to be a lot of work done before they get there.
“We’ve got all the parts, but we’ve got a long way to go to be real strong,” Kirby said. “I’m not overly optimistic yet. There’s a long way to go.”
Four of five starters return from the Hoosier Heritage Conference championship team. The lone loss was No. 1 player Aaron Arkenau, who had the team’s low round of 78 in last year’s regional tournament.
Seniors Asher Cotton and Brady Pearson and juniors Nils Erkmanis and Jace Lugar were all part of last year’s group that, along with winning the conference, placed second in the sectional and county tournaments.
The biggest addition to the group is freshman Elijah Lemmon, who looks like he could jump right in and take Arkenau’s spot.
Grandson of the head coach, Lemmon earned Junior Golfer of the Year honors from the Indiana Golf Association.
“He’s more than tournament ready,” Kirby said. “(He’s) not a typical (freshman) golfer coming in. He has a lot of experience under his belt.”
Lemmon and Erkmanis will be vying for that No. 1 spot.
Erkmanis was individual runner-up last year at both the sectional and conference tournaments. He tied for the 18-hole low score at conference (77) and finished second in a three-way playoff. He was also runner-up in the HHC tournament as a freshman. He shot a 75 at last year’s sectional.
“I’m looking for a lot of good things out of him. He can hit it a mile,” Kirby said.
Cotton, Pearson and Lugar have all had big tournament rounds. Kirby is looking for those players to be more consistent.
Cotton finished tied for second in the nine-hole Hancock County Tournament with a round of 40. Pearson was key in last year’s conference title, shooting a 79 and earning All-HHC honors. Lugar’s round of 81 was the second lowest Marauder score at last year’s sectional.
“What I’m really searching for is a No. 3-4-5 player who I can rely on. If I can find that, we’ll be a very good team,” Kirby said. “I really expect the top two kids will always be around 75 or better. I just need to find somebody else who can consistently shoot around 75-80 on the outside, now, we’re looking at some pretty good scores. We’ve got to find them yet and we’re working on it.
“If I can get two guys that can be consistently low with them, we’re now competing with the big boys.”
Kirby said seniors Drew Lowder and Parker White and freshman Owen Daugherty have also been showing potential to break into the starting lineup.
The season opens Saturday at the Yorktown Invitational at The Players Club, which is also the location for the regional tournament.
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2024 Mt. Vernon Boys Golf Schedule
Date;Opponent;Time
April 6;at Yorktown Invitational;11 a.m.
April 9;at Triton Central;4:30 p.m.
April 10;at Shelbyville;5 p.m.
April 13;at Trojan (Center Grove) Classic;10 a.m.
April 16;at Yorktown/Lapel;4:30 p.m.
April 17;vs. Pendleton Heights;4:30 p.m.
April 20;at Bob Spacey (Noblesville) Invitational;11 a.m.
April 22;at Greenfield-Central;4:30 p.m.
April 24;vs. Lawrence North;5 p.m.
April 29;at New Palestine;4:30 p.m.
May 1;at County (Hawk’s Tail);4:30 p.m.
May 4;at Batesville Invitational;10 a.m.
May 6;vs. Rushville;5 p.m.
May 11;at HHC (Albany GC);8:30 a.m.
May 18;at Muncie Central Invitational;10 a.m.
May 22;vs. Daleville;4:30 p.m.
May 29;at Triton Central Invitational;9 a.m.
