Spring sport athletes have in tough nearly every year in northeastern Minnesota.
That may be doubly so for high school golfers.
Area teams, including Northeast Range/Ely, rarely if ever get out on to a course before the season begins and that was the case again this year.
Both the boys and girls teams started their 2026 campaigns this week with events at Pengilly.
“We haven’t been outside other than on the football field,” said NRE Head Coach Cheri DeBeltz.
Both teams lagged behind in the standings at the respective events Monday (boys) and Wednesday (girls), although senior Cylvia De-Beltz placed sixth in the individual standings in the girls meet.
Cylvia DeBeltz has previous state meet experience and will lead a young team into action this spring. She carded a nine-hole 57 on Wednesday, placing sixth.
Others on the girls team include ninth-grader Coco Gillson, who notched a 68 and took 23rd overall.
Three eighth-graders - Colette Moskowitz (77), Avery Bee (81) and Evelyn Moran (85) - also competed for NRE Wednesday.
Also on the team is Eleanor Nyquist.
Greenway-Nashwauk-Keewatin won the team title, followed by International Falls, North Woods, Two Harbors and NRE.
The NRE boys are older and are led by senior Jayden Zemke.
“Jayden is returning, and he shot with us last year at sections and missed the cut-off for the second day by just one stroke,” said DeBeltz.
Zemke placed 37th Monday with a 54 over nine holes and fellow senior Rhett Johnson recorded a 60 to take 44th. Another senior, Tyler Fritz, was one spot behind with a 63.
Junior Mason Kurnava was in 47th place (73), followed by seventh-grader Blake Stalboerger (49th, 80)and eighth-grader Jimmy McCarter (50th, 81).
Eighth-grader Ethan Nickolson is on the team but missed Monday’s meet.
NRE finished seventh in the team standings.
The opening contests kick off a busy slate but the golfers are also in search of some practice time as well.
“We just got clearance to hit balls on the driving range (on the Ely course) and Babbitt is open as of today,” said DeBeltz.
