Sacred Heart-Griffin HS girls golf team finding success
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — When Addi Eades was a freshman at Sacred Heart Griffen (SHG), she was part of the golf team that took home the third-place trophy in the class A state tournament. Today she is one of the senior leaders, playing a game that she has loved since she was four years old.
鈥淢y sister was eight, and she was just starting to play in tournaments,鈥� Addi says. 鈥淚 thought it was really cool, and I wanted to be just like her. I wasn鈥檛 very good, nor did I know how to actually swing a club, but I just thought it was something I could do with my dad and sister.鈥�
Addi鈥檚 teammate and classmate, Molly Marriott, got her start a little later, when she was seven. Still, that鈥檚 more than 20 years of experience from just two members of the 2022 squad. And it鈥檚 paying off on the course.
When this story went to press, SHG had just won the O鈥橣allon Sectional of the Class 2A state tournament earning them a spot at the ISHA State Finals. Addi led the team with a 75 and a fifth-place finish, followed by Molly in sixth with a 76 and sophomore Izzy Hasselbrock in ninth with a 78. While these are certainly impressive performances, overall success is still driven by the dynamics that inspire any team.
鈥淕olf is an unusual team sport because you are out there on your own, usually playing with two or three聽 girls from competing teams,鈥� says Bill Marriott, SHG鈥檚 head coach and Molly’s dad. 鈥淚t adds a little more pressure on the players because they don’t want to let their teammates down. We win and lose as a team. The seniors understand this and are always encouraging to the underclassman. That has been a point of emphasis since I鈥檝e been here.鈥�
Bill started with the SHG golf program in 1996 with a three-year stint as an assistant. He returned in 2016 when his daughter Anna was a freshman, and she and her sister Molly were both members of the state finalists squad from 2019. It鈥檚 safe to say that golf runs deep in the Marriott family.
鈥淚 was given my first set of clubs when I was in my crib. It鈥檚 truly a family passion,鈥� Bill says. 鈥淚 grew up playing at Illini Country Club in the Junior Golf program and then went on to play for SHG. Most of my knowledge of the game comes from instructions over the years from my father, Bill Sr., and my younger brother Jake, who played at Augusta University and later as a professional golfer.鈥�
Coaching a golf team can be difficult logistically. Bill says it is tough giving instructions when players are in different spots along the course, but he can rely on the expertise of his assistant coaches, Scott Eades and Nick Petropoulos. As with any sport, when players become more accomplished, a lot of focus is placed on teaching form and technique. But since golf can be a particularly frustrating pursuit, Bill also emphasizes some more basic philosophies of the game.
鈥淔irst and foremost, have fun. Enjoy the game,鈥� he advises. 鈥淏eyond that, I always tell the girls that the most important shot is the one you are about to hit. Take one shot at a time and commit to it.鈥�
Molly was certainly having fun when she won the Alton Marquette Blast Off tournament earlier this year, a performance she immediately followed up with a career-best, one-over 73. But even on her best days, Molly knows that she is only as good as her team.
鈥淥ur team chemistry really makes playing for SHG great. No matter how you play, your teammates are right there to pick you up,鈥� she says.
Addi whole-heartedly agrees.聽鈥淚 love the bonds that I have with my teammates,鈥� Addi says. 鈥淲e are a close group, which allows us to create connections in practice, team activities and even at team sleepovers. We are all competitive, but we also want the best for one another.鈥�
Along with Molly, Addi and Izzy, the 2022 Cyclones golf team includes聽Jaycie Cole, Leeann Brown, Meg Goliko, Macie Petropoulos, Natalie Zak, Layden Tamblin, Avery O鈥橞rien, Olivia Tranquilli and Madaline Pauly.
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