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MCALISTERVILLE -- The idea began a year ago, before East Juniata had won 15 matches, before a championship banner would hang in the gym, before anyone had to think about what might happen at districts.
The Tigers' seniors looked at what they had coming back. They looked at St. Joseph's. And they decided they had a chance.
"The seniors set that goal last year when they realized they would have a chance to beat St. Joes," East Juniata golf coach Mike Zendt said.
Now the first part is finished.
East Juniata has improved to 15-2, including two victories at Mifflin County, and captured the Tri-Valley Athletic Association championship. For Zendt's golfers, the reward will hang in the gym long after the season ends.
"The team was very excited about winning the TVL and being able to hang a banner in the gymnasium," Zendt said.
There isn't much time for East Juniata to admire it. There's always another hole, another round, and, for the Tigers, another goal.
East Juniata now turns toward the District 4 team championship, where Zendt believes last year's experience could matter almost as much as this year's scores.
A season ago, many of the same golfers went through districts together. They learned the setting and the particular pressure that comes when every stroke counts toward the team total.
"The experience that a lot of these guys got going to the team districts last year should really help us this year," Zendt said. "I think it will help them control their emotions and nerves better in terms of what to expect at the event."
That may be the most important improvement East Juniata carries into the postseason.
A golfer can work on a swing between rounds. He can spend an afternoon putting or hitting wedges. Controlling what happens after a bad shot is harder. District golf eventually tests what a player does after the ball goes somewhere he didn't intend.
Zendt already knows the answer he wants.
"We will need to be able to put those bad shots behind us and move forward like they never happened," he said. "We'll need to limit the damage on those holes where we may get into some trouble with an errant drive or a bad second shot."
East Juniata's chances don't rest on one golfer.
Jeramiah Armstrong, Camden Feltman and Ian Druckenmiller have given Zendt consistent scoring throughout the season. Brycen Watton and Connor Newton have supplied important rounds when the Tigers needed them.
Armstrong, in particular, has moved forward.
"Jeramiah has taken big steps forward," Zendt said. "He has been solid all year for us and I think he could be a strong contender at the district level."
The larger advantage may come from the players who aren't always in the lineup.
Zendt estimates he has between 10 and 15 golfers capable of earning a spot on any given day. In high school golf, where one unusually high score can change a team's afternoon, that competition gives Zendt options and keeps players competing for their places in the lineup.
"The overall depth of our team has made us much better," Zendt said.
Some of that improvement began before the season.
Zendt had a group that played throughout the summer rather than waiting for official practice to pick up their clubs again. They arrived prepared to compete instead of spending August trying to rediscover their games.
"I have a group of guys who have been playing throughout the summer," Zendt said. "They came ready to play. That has made a huge difference in our season. We had a good year last year, but this year has been even better due to this."
The Tigers have also learned their games travel.
At Lost Creek, East Juniata's players know the holes, the dangerous misses and the places they don't want to leave themselves. But Zendt has watched the same skills appear elsewhere.
"I believe they get better playing anywhere," he said. "Lost Creek is a fair and fun golf course to play. I think the course helps to encourage these guys that they can play well here as well as other places. We've played well away from Lost Creek as well, so I think it's translating our game to other courses well."
Zendt has coached championship teams before, and that experience tells him what this group doesn't have yet.
"Those teams that won had experience," he said. "We have some experience, but certainly not the amount that those groups had."
They can't acquire years of experience before districts, but they can make one good decision at a time.
Leave the drive in the rough behind. Recover. Avoid turning a bogey into a triple bogey. Make the next putt. Four golfers doing that for an entire round can turn a contender into a champion.
East Juniata has already accomplished the goal its seniors established a year ago. The banner will hang whether the Tigers shoot well at districts or poorly.
But another championship would do more than decorate a gym.
"Any time you can win a TVL title or a district title, it draws attention to the program," Zendt said. "It draws those students who may not have had an interest in golf, and that's a good thing."
The first banner was the goal.
Now the Tigers get to see whether there's room for another.