By Tommy Keeler Jr. -- Daily Staff Writer

Sherando golf coach Rob Wright knows how to turn a negative into a positive.

Wright, aware of the pressure of being one of the Northwestern District's top teams, put a positive spin on helping his Warriors deal with the high expectations.

"I told the kids they should be honored that everyone is looking at them as the favorites," Wright said. "I don't want them to be scared when they go out there. I want them to go out there and have fun, and we'll see where they stand at the end.

"It's up to them. They have the ability to win the district, but they have to go out and prove it."

Sherando returns most of last year's squad, which won the Northwestern District tournament and finished fourth in the Region II tournament.

The Warriors are led by Casey Thompson, who finished fifth in the Group AA state tournament last year and is geared up for his senior season.

"Everybody says your senior year is the best year, so I'm looking forward to it," Thompson said. "I want to try to do my best and have a lot of fun."

Thompson opened his senior campaign on the right foot, winning the Curly Licklider Invitational held at the Shenandoah Valley Golf Club, shooting a 5-under-par 66.

His performance helped lead the Warriors to a fourth-place finish in the 23-team tournament and, unlike last season when the team struggled early, gave Sherando a strong foundation to build upon this season.

Senior Alex Smart will also play a big role for the Warriors. In the second Northwestern District mini-tournament held last week, Smart posted the top score with a 72. In the Region II tournament last year, Smart finished two shots out of a playoff for the final qualifying spot for the Group AA state tournament.

"We're looking for Casey and Alex to help out some of our younger kids and be real good leaders for the team," Wright said. "We're fortunate to have the two of them."

One motivating factor for the Warriors, who have reached regionals five consecutive years, is the fact that the Region II tournament is being held at their home course, Shenandoah Valley Golf Club.

"Last year it was played on Briar Woods' home course and they won it," Smart said. "I think it's huge to be able to play on your home course. We should know it better than everybody else."

The key to Sherando's season may be in their attitude on the courses. If the Warriors can handle the pressure being the district kingpin, they can then parlay that into a state berth.

"You have to enjoy it and have fun with it," Smart said. "If you go out too focused, you're going to mess up."

A capsule look at area teams, listed alphabetically:

Central

After having individual success last season, the Falcons will be looking to rebuild this year. Central lost Group AA state qualifier Derek Snarr and regional qualifier Geoff Hamilton to graduation, leaving the team with little experience. The Falcons will be led this season by juniors Ethan Wilson, Chris Cacho and Ryan Bowen and sophomore David Hoye.

Central coach Jeff Walters said he expects junior Cary Williams and freshman Stephen Truban to play a role on a team chock full of players still relatively green to the sport.

"We have some new blood that we're hoping to get turned on to golf," Walters said. "We have a young team. We're just looking to improve and get better as the season goes on."

Clarke County

The Eagles have high expectations this year. Clarke County won the Bull Run District tournament last year and has all but two players back from that squad. Juniors D.J. Pyatt, Kevin Wiseman, Tyler Anderson, James Callan, Zach Ramey and senior Scott Daisley will be expected to lead the charge for the Eagles.

First-year coach Randy Anderson said the Eagles should do well in the district and beyond.

"The first goal is to win the district and advance to regionals," he said. "We just want to build off what they did last year. It's all up to them."

Handley

Although coach Tommy Arthur has three of his top six returning this season, the Judges boast a young squad.

Sophomores Aubrey Wilkerson and Kyle Stickley, and juniors Danny Nolan and Will McHugh are expected to be the impact players for the Judges. Senior Brett Bergen, junior David Taylor and sophomore Andrew Marut could also be a factor.

Arthur said Sherando is the clear favorite in the district, but he hopes his squad can challenge for the second spot.

"We need to be a consistent team," he said. "We need to have a group of guys scoring in the low 80s. Millbrook has a good group returning to the team and Brentsville will be a team to be reckoned with."

James Wood

The Colonels' third-year coach Al Smith has good reason to be optimistic about his team's chances in the Northwestern District, as James Wood has everyone returning to a squad that finished fourth in the league last season.

Seniors Mike McIntire, Zach Drumheller, Travis Viands, D.J. Jutze, sophomore Dylan McKee and junior Ricky Gadoury all return.

"They've all played a lot in the offseason," Smith said. "They have experience. I think we have a legitimate shot at being one of the two teams that gets a regional berth."

Millbrook

First-year coach Russ Korn inherits a wealth of talent at Millbrook. The Pioneers lost only Trevor Oyler from last year's team, which won the Northwestern District regular season title. Seniors Chris Northrup, Hunter Shrout and Spencer Plante are expected to fill the void left by Oyler.

Korn said he also expects freshman Matt Fazenbaker to make an impact. John Linder and Evan Bender will also be in the mix for the Pioneers.

Korn, who was Nate Hill's assistant the past three years, said he thinks last year's success will benefit them.

"We do have some experience coming back," Korn said. "I think it will help that we have a lot of guys that have been to regionals. Hopefully we can be in the top half of the district this year."

Sherando

The Warriors had 17 players come out for the team and Wright had to make cuts to keep a dozen (there are three players in each class).

While Thompson and Smart lead the way, juniors John Judy and Hunter Strosnider, senior Aaron Disque and freshman Cory Hammans could also make a big impact for the team this season.

With most of last year's team returning, it's no surprise that the Warriors are favored in the district. Wright said seniors Thompson and Smart have added motivation this season.

"Casey and Alex want to go out strong," Wright said. "We just need everybody to stay consistent."

Skyline

The Hawks may have the best 1-2 combo in the area in sophomore Zach Henry and junior Ryan Rettberg. If Skyline coach Frank Moxie can get a few other players to raise their games, the Hawks could become a contender in the Northwestern District.

Rettberg just missed qualifying for the Group AA state tournament last year, losing in a playoff.

Moxie said sophomores Zach Dove, Cameron Taylor and Collin Clark and freshman Charles Chatman could help the Hawks contend.

"We have a very young team," Moxie said. "We should have the same group of guys for a couple of years and we should keep getting better. We'd like to finish in the top four — that's our goal. Then hopefully we can make a run at making the regional tournament."

Stonewall Jackson

The Generals may have lost Group A state qualifier Nick Bergen to graduation, but they have plenty of returning golfers for first-year coach Daniel Green. Of the 11 players on Stonewall's squad, 10 played last season.

Leading the pack will be senior Corey Roadcap, last year's Shenandoah District Player of the Year. Junior Tyler Barb and sophomore Coleman Johnson should also make a big impact for the Generals, who won the Shenandoah District regular season title last year.

Green, a former assistant coach at JMU, said he has been pleased with what he's seen so far from his team.

"We have three very solid players in Roadcap, Barb and Johnson," Green said. "I'm still looking for some of the rest of the guys to step up. We have two seniors and eight guys who are either sophomores or juniors, so we have a lot of room to grow."

Strasburg

Second-year coach Bert Martin has a good mix of players for this year's team. The Rams return two regional qualifiers — seniors Jonathan Ritenour and Zach Stickley. Sophomore Derek Davis also returns and should make an impact, as should freshman Collin Cook. Sophomore Tyler Johnson will also be in the mix for the Rams.

"Clarke County has a lot of returning kids," Martin said. "I think the district is pretty wide-open. Hopefully we can make a run. You never know, that's why you play."

Warren County

The Wildcats are a young and inexperienced this season. Warren County second-year coach Matt Wadas doesn't have any players who have more than one year of experience playing the sport. The Wildcats will rely on Darren Daniels, Josh Keefer, R.J. Myers, Cody Zimmerman and Trevor Proper this season.

The Wildcats lost two of their top players from last year — Tyler Jenkins and Shawn Brown.

"Without a lot of experience, we're going to be at the bottom just trying to get better," Wadas said.

*Contact Tommy Keeler Jr. at tkeeler@nvdaily.com