The Blair Oaks Falcons went through a bit of a rebuild during last spring's boys golf season. It paid off with a fourth-place finish at the Class 2 state tournament.
There's another rebuild this spring for the Falcons, this one being a little bigger.
"We peaked at the right time, right at the end of the season," Blair Oaks coach Leroy Bernskoetter said as the Falcons prepared for today's opener at Boonville. "We'll see if we can do that again because this year really is a rebuild."
The Falcons have nine players on the roster this season.
"It's not a bad number," Bernskoetter said. "It makes it nice for practice, I can work with them all."
And with five of them being freshman, there's work to be done.
"It's a good group of kids, but it will be interesting to see how they react when things don't go their way the first time," Bernskoetter said. "We really haven't played enough to see just yet.
"With our inexperience, we have spent a lot of time at practice just working on the little things to make sure we're ready to play in a tournament or a match."
Jarod Steinbeck is the only senior on the team this season. He's a good player to build around, coming off a 23rd place finish at state.
"He started the year shooting in the 90s and by the end of the year, he was in the low 80s," Bernskoetter said.
The Falcons are counting on big things from Steinbeck this spring.
"He's matured a little bit and he's hitting the ball a little farther," Bernskoetter said. "I'm really looking forward to seeing what Jared can do this season.
"He's in a little better shape and I think that has really helped his golf game."
Jake Closser, one of the freshmen, is being counted on to help on the varsity at the No. 2 spot.
"He's played a lot, you can tell he has experience," Bernskoetter said. "Plus, he's played football and basketball, that has really gotten him ready for competition, the stress that can come along with that."
The rest of the varsity positions likely will decide how successful the Falcons will be as a team this spring.
"The No. 3 and No. 4 spots are really going to be key," Bernskoetter said.
The Falcons have two juniors - Jonathan Bott and T.J. Kliethermes. Neither has played on the varsity before.
"They are upperclassmen now and we're counting on them to play on the varsity for us," Bernskoetter said. "We need the light bulb to come on, to figure out how to really play the game. It's such a mental game, it's what goes on between the ears that can really decide your score on any given day."
Zach Feltrop, the only sophomore on the team, and freshman Brady Kicker also will see time with the varsity.
"Brady swings it pretty well," Bernskoetter said. "It's a matter of him getting the experience to learn to keep it in the fairway. But like for every one of our players, you have to learn to hit smooth and clean and not just drive it for show."
The postseason will start in late April with the district tournament at Buffalo.
The sectional will be held at Versailles, while the Class 2 state tournament is scheduled for Meadow Lake Acres Country Club.