A new face will be helping to guide a lot of familiar ones for the Aberdeen Roncalli golf team this fall.
Chazz Vigil takes over the program as a first-year head coach. The Colorado native is an assistant pro at Moccasin Creek Country Club, so he does know some of the golfers on the squad.
“I know a handful of the kids with them being members out here,” Vigil said.
Vigil inherits a program with a rich history and culture, and a Cavaliers team that returns all but one player from a year ago.
“It’s nice. Having kids that know what they’re doing, they’ve been here before, that’s always exciting,” Vigil said. “Also, pretty cool to come into a program that can win now. You don’t always get that opportunity.”
Members returning from last year include Finn Anderson (tied for ninth at state last year), Harper Schnabel (tied for 19th at state), Lucas Daggett (tied for 21st at state), Matthew Gerlach, Owen Vogel, Matthew Darling, and Parker Serr.
The annual goal of the team is always to be in the hunt for a Class A state team championship, and the goal will remain the same, even if the coach is different.
“I think we have the same expectation. That’s the goal. We want to win,” Vigil said. “So hopefully we can put together a season where the kids come in and do their thing.”
Vigil knows that the players on this year’s team possess a proven track record. He said his goal is to let them compete and help where he can.
“For the most part, golf’s an individual sport. So as much as I can help them, I also have to stay out of their way a little bit, because doing too much also will hurt them,” Vigil said. “So just letting them do their thing. They all know what they’re doing, help them improve mechanically, and if they have any mental questions, we can work on stuff like that, too.”
That’s a bit of the tricky part, coaching things that cannot be seen.
Vigil said the mental side of the game comes down to having a belief in abilities.
“It’s tough. A lot of it has to do with preparation,” Vigil said. “If you’re prepared, you’re more confident. Confidence keeps you out of your own head. As soon as you lose confidence, your mechanics probably go bad, you’re kind of all over the place.”
While Roncalli is not short on experience, Vigil said that no spots are guaranteed this fall.
“I think they have to earn their spot,” Vigil said. “Just because they’ve done something in the past doesn’t mean they should be gifted anything. We got eight kids out there currently playing for six spots.”
The Cavaliers have been placed in a different region this season. Instead of competing in Region 1A Roncalli is now a member of Region 3A, which includes fellow Northeast Conference teams Groton and Redfield, but also includes the likes of Parkston and Winner.
“I haven’t really gotten too far into that,” Vigil said. “My main thing is getting these kids ready to go and compete no matter what region that we’re in.”
Roncalli starts its season with a bang, playing in back-to-back tournaments today and Tuesday with only one week of practice to prepare.
“It’s kind of crazy. Only a week,” Vigil said. “It would have been nice to get an extra week or so, but at the end of the day, like I said, these kids have been here before. They’ve all done it, so I think we’re going to be OK.”
The Cavaliers play at Sioux Valley today and West Central on Tuesday.
Vigil, whose dad coached for more than 30 years, is ready for his first foray into coaching.
“I’m happy to be taking over this position. I think it’s going to be a fun year,” Vigil said. “Like I said, the kids know what they’re doing. I’m going to try help them the best I can, but also stay out of their way as best as I can, and let things fall how they fall.”
