Raiders use in-season experience to prep them for fight to reach state tournament

AUBURN, Ill. — There’s a benefit to playing a schedule chock full of talented opponents.

The Quincy Notre Dame girls golfers are realizing that.

The regular-season setbacks suffered against Quincy High School and Macomb — teams that won regional championships and are sending golfers to their respective state tournaments — prepped the Raiders to be headstrong against formidable foes.

Monday, in the Class 1A Auburn Sectional at Edgewood Golf Course, the Raiders played like a more seasoned team, shooting a 375 to finish third and advance to the state tournament for the first time as a team since 2012.

“I don’t think we appreciated until the last few days how good that competition was making us behind the scenes and to get ready for a day like this,” QND coach Jason Knuffman said. “If we hadn’t seen those teams, we wouldn’t have been ready for the teams we played today.”

Effingham St. Anthony won the sectional title with a 325, followed by Charleston at 374 and QND. Mattoon and Rochester tied at 389.

“We definitely have improved throughout the season, and it all just came together on one day,” said QND senior Hana Knuffman, who shot an 81 to tie for fourth individually. “At the beginning of the season, I don’t know what I would have thought about going to the state tournament as a team. I probably wouldn’t have been too expectant of it.

“Coming into today, I had high hopes.”

The competition and the familiarity on challenging courses helped in that regard.

“We’ve learned how to handle tough holes,” Hana Knuffman said.

Edgewood has a few of those.

“This was a devilishly course, especially the back nine,”

That didn’t seem to bother Emma Eyler. The junior was five strokes better on the back nine, posting a 47 to finish at 99. Such an effort was needed. Blair Eftink, a junior, shot a 96, and Meredith Eversman, a freshman, posted a 99. However, senior Olivia Hummel, who played her way into the No. 2 spot in the lineup, struggled to a 107.

“Teammates stepped up like teammates should and they covered for her,” Jason Knuffman said.

And they followed Hana Knuffman’s lead. She said her putting and chipping were solid, and she scrambled when necessary to post her team-leading score.

“I did everything I could for that 81,” Hana said.

It left her father impressed.

“To do it on this stage, this was definitely her best round of the year,” Jason Knuffman said.

The way the Raiders hung tough, it might have been the best round of the year for many of them in that regard.

“All they remembered was Coach telling them, ‘Fight until the very last stroke is holed today,’” Jason Knuffman said. “That’s what I told them. I told every single one of them not to give up, no matter how bad it might seem or good it might seem. Keep fighting until the very end. Everyone else has to go through this, too.”

They fought their way to state.

“It is definitely a thrill,” Jason Knuffman said.