With one of the biggest squads the Powell girls’ golf team has seen in some time alongside key returning talent at the top, the Panthers have their sights set high, with an open team competition having Powell aiming for its first state title since 2001.

“It’s so great to have so many girls out with seven on the roster this year where we can travel with five,” coach Troy Hildebrand said.

Leading the charge for the Panthers, who finished fifth last year at state, is expected to be junior Emery Hernandez, who finished in a tie for 10th a season ago to earn All-State honors.

Alongside Hernandez is Coy Erickson, who has been starting for the Panthers every year heading into her senior campaign. She was an All-Conference golfer a year ago and placed in a tie for 14th at state.

“It’s great to have experience where you have two returning All-Conference players and then Emery was All-State of course,” Hildebrand said. “Having those two lead that group is a great example for those young players to learn from and start building, not only for this year, hopefully … into the future with the ones we’ll have returning.”

Behind Erickson and Hernandez the Panthers bring back two golfers who got experience a year ago, as Grace Gordon and Maddie Croft played in their freshman year, with Croft competing at state for the Panthers.

“Maddie was able to get an entire season under her belt as a freshman last year, and she made great strides during the season and is even more improved coming into this year,” Hildebrand said. “Grace played last fall and just didn’t travel. She was on the team, and this year has made some strides forward in her game that she will get an opportunity with us.”

Adding into the mix will be freshman Ali Scott, who brings experience to the team having played for years alongside her brother Trey Scott, who was an All-State player last year for the Panthers as a senior.

“It’s nice to have someone that’s played quite a bit of golf stepping in as a freshman,” Hildebrand said. “She has quite a bit of experience with her brother just leaving our program.”

Powell also added in another pair of newer sophomore golfers in Ily Williams and Reese Hancock, who Hildebrand expects will gain some experience this season.

“We’ll just feel it out as we go and see where they wind up,” he said.

Statewide it will be a difficult competition at the top, as eight of the 11 All-State golfers from a season ago return, including returning state champion Maddie Brace from Douglas, also the defending state team champion.

However, Douglas only returns Brace from last year’s state team, as Hildebrand expects resistance in the team competition from close by in Cody along with Torrington as well as some other teams around the state.

The shortest fall season starts off quickly, as the Panthers will stay home at the Powell Golf Club for the first tournament of the season, welcoming in teams from 2A, 3A and 4A schools to provide good competition to start the year.

“It’s a short season but it definitely gives us a chance to improve each week and find areas of strengths and weaknesses and hopefully just work towards playing as a collective group,” Hildebrand said. “There’s certainly some teams that are good. Cody has an excellent returning team on the girls’ side, and Torrington, there’s some other individual players that are great players. Hopefully we can do some things during these next six weeks to put our best foot forward when we land in Cody (for state).”

The tournament starts Thursday at 1 p.m. and the second round starts at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

Powell will stay close to home for postseason tournaments, as the 3A West Conference Tournament will be in Lovell on Sept. 11-12 while state will be the following week in Cody on Sept. 19-20.

“It is certainly a benefit when you wind up with the state tournament close to home. It’s a place that we play every fall and spring so it is a good, challenging course,” Hildebrand said. “It’s always in great shape and it’s a great time of year to be playing it. It’s nice that everyone that will be part of that group will have at least seen it sometime along the way. Then we’ll get our practice rounds in there, but it’s nice to have some familiarity versus Douglas or Torrington or even last year in Rawlins where none of us have experience on a course.”

The Panthers quickly turn around and hit the road early next week, heading to Lander for a tournament on Monday and Tuesday.