Anthony Ruthey (right) and Tyler Bussert (left) | Instagram
Anthony Ruthey (right) and Tyler Bussert (left) | Instagram
After winning the school's first state title last season, the Riverdale boys' golf team is swinging for a repeat.
“That’s what will drive us this year,” Riverdale senior Anthony Ruthey told the Dispatch-Argus. “Last year, it was the drive to win it all, or at least to place. This year, we have to stay hungry. Even though we won it all last season, it’s a whole new year and we’ve got a different team. One thing we have to keep in mind is that it happened last year.”
Ruthey earned individual runner-up last season to state champion and teammate Tyler Bussert, who is now a freshman at the University of Iowa.
“Last year was such a breakthrough for all those boys,” Rams’ coach Trent Groves told the Dispatch-Argus. “As far as coming into this year, one of the first things we said to the boys was that while last year was awesome, everyone’s going to say, they’re the state champions, the team to beat. We have to go out and earn it all over again. We have to practice and work just as hard.”
The team recently kicked off its season at The Prep Tour Illinois HS Showcase on Aug. 10. The team placed seventh out of 16 schools. Ruthey took second place as an individual.
Besides Ruthey, the reigning Three Rivers Conference champs return key performers Gannon Haskins, Ryan Bussert and Hayden Musser.
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