When the final scores came in, the Fort Osage Girls Golf team knew it had made history. What began as a goal early in the season became reality, as the Indians captured their first conference championship in program history.
On Monday, Oct. 6, the Girls Golf team traveled to Eagles Landing Golf Course for the Suburban White Conference Championship, competing against six other schools to see who would be crowned champions. The Indians won with a team score of 404 — 19 strokes ahead of second-place Platte County. Junior Ava Adlard was the overall first-place medalist with a score of 90. Adlard said she felt relieved after securing the win.
“I felt like I had a lot of pressure on my back,” Adlard said. “To be the first-place medalist lifted a lot of weight off my shoulders, and it felt good for me to support my team.”
Winning a championship is always among every player’s dreams at the beginning of the season. Going out and actually doing it is a whole other story. Head coach Joshua Wilson said the team was already on the lookout to win it this year.
“We had a goal starting early in the season, and we thought we could achieve it,” Wilson said. “That explains why we were able to do it — because they saw the goal, they saw the things they had to improve on, and they made it their mission to improve. That’s why we were able to win.”
Team chemistry also played a key role in Fort Osage’s success. Adlard said the players constantly supported each other, on and off the course.
“When we’re playing together, we’re always trying to get each other in better moods and hype each other up,” Adlard said. “We never let our teammates stay in a down mood.”
Not only does this win mean a lot for the players and the program now, but it also creates opportunities for the team to grow in the future. Wilson hopes the championship will inspire more girls to join the program.
“I hope it leads to more people wanting to play Girls Golf with us,” Wilson said. “Hopefully it energizes people and helps them see that this is something we can compete in — in our conference, district, and beyond.”
Fort Osage High School Activities Director Zach Dudley believes the championship sets a new standard for the Girls Golf program.
“It sets a standard that we can do this and that we can compete at a level that we can be proud of,” Dudley said. “There were times when we’d never think we’d compete for a conference title in golf. We’ve had some good players and coaches here who decided we’re going to do something about this and step on the gas and go.”
The conference title doesn’t just impact the Girls Golf team — it can have positive effects across Fort Osage athletics. Dudley believes the win can help elevate the performance of other programs.
“Any kind of conference championship or any kind of success breeds more success around here,” Dudley said. “And I think the likelihood of other programs seeing that and wanting to elevate because there’s a want from everybody to be good at things, and when other people around you are being good, that just breeds more success.”
The conference title marks more than just a win on the scorecard — it’s proof of how far the program has come. For Fort Osage Girls Golf, this championship isn’t the finish line, but the start of something bigger.
