Wednesday, August 27, 2014
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Girard’s Mark Standohar approaches the 16th green of Mahoning Country Club in Girard from the fairway with an iron during Wednesday’s match against Brookfield. Girard won 172-206 to maintain a 7-0 record.
By Curtis Pulliam
GIRARD
Pressure is all around Girard High junior golfer Mark Standohar.
“There’s a little bit of pressure,” Standohar said. “But it’s also tough for me to get over that they are not here anymore. I had a lot of good times with them.”
Standohar was referring to his brother Evan and cousin Jimmy who had played with him in previous seasons.
Coach Dave Leo feels Standorhar can carry the weight.
“He’s a great leader and we put a lot of pressure on him,” said Leo said, who’s in his first year along with coach John Morman. “He carries it with a lot of honor.”
It’s now Mark’s turn to lead the Indians, who are 7-0 overall after Tuesday’s 172-206 victory over Brookfield at Mahoning Country Club. The Indians have won 46 straight dual matches.
“It means a lot,” Standohar said, who’s been part of most of the 46 wins. “We’ve got a young team right now, so it’s still good to be winning.”
Standohar acknowledges that when he’s playing, the streak creeps in his mind from time to time.
“Yeah I think about it when we have a big match against a tough team,” Standohar said. “You have [think about it]. It’s just what happens.”
Girard went 16-0 in dual matches a year ago, something Standohar contributed to a number of factors.
“We just go out there and consistently posting solid scores to beat good teams,” Standohar said. “Yeah, I guess we’re a little lucky, too.”
Standohar shot a 38 to lead the Indians. But a tired Standohar was not pleased.
“It was real hard,” Standohar said, describing the course. “Everything was rock hard. It was tough to play out there today.”
Senior Mike Bowser has experienced one loss in a dual match in his high school career and doesn’t want that to change.
“We have never been really big in golf as a school,” Bowser said. “I feel like we have a pretty good team to keep it going.”
Leo, who admitted his team struggled with the back nine, has confidence his team will bounce back.
“We were 20 shots over where we should have been today,” Leo said. “We just have come back and focus on things we can do well.”
With tough teams Newton Falls and LaBrae coming up, Morman is excited to have the streak alive and Standohar be the leader.
“We are only going as far as he can carry us,” Morman said. “That’s just how it’s going to be.”