The high school boys and girls golf season began Aug. 18 at schools across the state.

West Valley Preps and the Surprise Independent asked local high school coaches about their teams. Here are their responses.

Shadow Ridge Stallions

Boys coach: Scott Lihs (ninth year at Shadow Ridge)
Section: Division I Southwest
Who are your top returning golfers? Cale Wasmund, Xzavian Flores, AJ Waples, Parker Kalsek and Mason Ostermeyer.
Who are some of the newcomers that may have an impact this year? Some promising freshmen but none have broken into the top five as of yet.
What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? Veteran leadership, I returned seven of my top players
What are your highlights so far this season? And what are you looking forward to the rest of the year? A few good rounds so far but nothing to highlight so far.

Valley Vista Monsoon

Girls coach: Larissa Scott (third year)

Section: Division I Southwest
Who are your top returning golfers? Alyse Hryb, Nissi Garcia, Arianna Rapuano and Jessica Pond
Who are some of the newcomers that may have an impact this year? Lola Santana — A sophomore and lefty golfer has shown huge progress in her second year picking up the sport. She decided to try out golf last year, fell in love with the sport and recently has invested in weekly swing coach lessons that are really paying off. She is dependable and consistent in practice and always excited to participate in matches. Iliana Garcia — Sister of last year’s number one golfer Nissi Garcia. Iliana comes to us with a strong background in playing competitive soccer. As a freshmen this year she is a quick learner with a great takeaway with her driver. Her work ethic and fast learning is serving her well that she continues to surprise herself and us coaches as she gets better and better each week.
What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? Our team’s best strength this season is the strong chemistry they share and their commitment in the classroom, with an average team GPA of 3.5. The girls truly support one another both on and off the course, always lifting each other up and celebrating each other’s progress. At practice, we make it a point to incorporate fun and competitive drills — whether it’s short chips, sand shots, circle putts, lag putts, or iron and driver challenges on the range. Each week, players earn points through these competitions, which not only sharpen their skills but also keep the energy positive and motivating.
What are your highlights so far this season? And what are you looking forward to the rest of the year? Our highlights so far this season have been the fun and energy the players bring each day, as well as watching their love for the game of golf continue to grow. We’ve seen steady improvement across the board, both in skills and in team spirit, which has been exciting to watch. Looking ahead, we know that next year we’ll be a younger team, so we’re already preparing for that by exploring ways to build consistency and access to practice year-round. One of our goals is to partner with local sponsorships, golf courses and facilities, such as The Back 9, Sun City Golf Courses, and more to create more opportunities for both our boys and girls golf teams to continue developing their game throughout the year. We do want to thank the hospitality of Sun City Golf Courses and staff for allowing us to practice and host matches as not worrying about this cost has been very helpful to the continuation of our high school golf program.

Willow Canyon Wildcats

Girls coach: Todd Campbell (fourth year)
Section: Division II Southwest
Who are your top returning golfers? Junior Eunice Unchiasu is back for her third season and is looking to improve on her district leading scores. The team is held together by senior captain Annie Holub.
Who are some of the newcomers that may have an impact this year? Preslie Wixson is joining us this year as a junior, and has found herself a comfortable No. 2 spot.
What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? Once again the team is showing how attitude is the key to success and that we are a team in every sense of the word.
What are your highlights so far this season? And what are you looking forward to the rest of the year? We are always looking forward to the Dysart District Cup competition where we hope to bring the trophy back for a fourth consecutive year.