R-P Athletics
Matt Pallett hardly needs an introduction at Reeths-Puffer.
The longtime middle school science teacher has coached at one level or another for the past 26 years.
At one point he was the boys junior varsity basketball coach. He has also coached middle school girls and boys basketball, and still coaches the girls.
Coaching golf, however, is a pretty new gig for Pallett. He spent one season assisting former R-P varsity coach Chris Carter, but he’s never been in charge of a varsity team.
Junior Paige Anderson, who finished 21st in the state championship tournament last fall.
So this season will be a learning experience for Pallett, and he’s excited about the challenge.
The Rockets will open the season on Tuesday when they compete in the Mona Shores Invitational at Stonegate Golf Course.
“Golf has always been a passion for me, a sport I really enjoy, so when the opportunity came up I decided to take it," said Pallett, who replaced Carter after he left to become the general manager at Lincoln Golf Course.
Pallett will start his tenure with one thing every coach hopes to have – a star player.
Junior Paige Anderson had a breakout season last year, winning All-Conference honors, qualifying for the state finals and earning honorable mention All-State designation.
Paige Anderson attempts a putt while teammate Avery Luna looks on.
“She is very talented,” Pallett said about Anderson. “I think her goal this year is to obviously make it back to state, and ultimately become an All-Stater. I think she has the potential to be right up there with the best of them.”
After Anderson, the Rockets’ roster is a mixed bag when it comes to experience, with two other girls who played regularly last season, two who didn’t see much tournament action, and one who is new to the team.
The fact that the Rockets will start the season with only six players is another challenge. The top four scores for a team count in all events, so most of the girls will be playing meaningful rounds.
“We have a meet on Tuesday, and one girl has a broken hand and the other is brand new, so I think we will only have four, so all four scores are going to count,” said Pallett, a former R-P athlete himself who graduated in 1993.
Abby Haak practices getting out of the sand trap.
Two regulars from last year's team – Ella Klimsza, the lone senior, and Rowan Bluhm, a sophomore - will be expected to play key roles this fall.
Unfortunately Bluhm is the player with the broken hand, and it’s not known when she will be able to join the team.
Bluhm broke her hand playing travel softball over the summer, according to Pallett.
“She could be our No. 2, and we were hoping that she would be cleared to play, but her doctor gave her three more weeks, so it might be midseason before we get her back," the coach said.
Ella Klimsza practices chipping during a team workout at Lincoln on Monday.
Junior Abby Haak and sophomore Avery Luna were both on the team last year, but neither saw a lot of tournament action.
That will certainly change this season, and both will be counted on to help prop up the team score.
“We’re going to be relying on them a lot this year,” Pallett said. “Neither of them seem to get really frustrated, which is good, because we’re going to be playing on some tough courses.”
The newcomer to the team is sophomore Ava Freed.
Pallett said he was hired for the coaching job rather late in the summer, and didn’t get the chance to reach out to many other girls about coming out for the team.
Coach Matt Pallett watches his chip shot while doing a drill with the players.
“We will keep accepting girls who want to come out,” the coach said.
In the meantime, Pallett said his small team is enthusiastic about starting the season, and everyone seems determined to keep improving.
“All of my girls are really nice kids who want to work hard, and they seem ready to go,” Pallett said.
For Pallett, the success of the season will be measured by the degree of improvement as the fall unfolds.
“For me, it’s about the first meet and the last meet,” he said. “The first to find out where we’re at, and the last to see what kind of impact I had on the program.”