Katelann Soth takes her consistently smooth and methodical backswing and strikes her tee shot a few hundred yards on the first hole of the Meridian Valley Country Club. The drive sounds pretty and looks impressive in the air. And lands right in a bunker.

The shot pains Katelann’s dad, Rick Soth, who, as always, is dutifully scouting. He watches most every one of Katelann’s gorgeous strokes, including the ones that land in the rough.

“She is not 100 percent consistent but her all around game is good so she can recover easily,” Rick said.

Katelann, a sophomore at Kentwood High School, is one of the rising stars in an impressive crop of local golf talent on both the boys and girls sides. Katelann, 15, started playing just five years ago, first falling in love with driving the golf cart. Now, she hopes to someday make the sport her career.

“Golf is everything to me,” Katelann said. “It is what I do. I wouldn’t want to do anything else.”

The Soth family moved from Kent to Covington so that Katelann could attend school and play golf at Kentwood. As a freshman, Katelann finished 25th in the state tournament and Rick said she won the Washington Junior Golf Association long drive competition with a 267-foot tee shot.

Kentwood head coach Cheryl Havener said she believed Katelann is the best female player in the SPSL 4A North group and one of the best female golfers to come through the Kentwood program.

“She came in good,” Havener said. “It had nothing to do with me.”

Katelann knows she is inexperienced, spending five or six times a week putting, chipping and playing through a few holes. She is admittedly shy and at times nervous, something she feels she will improve upon with more seasoning.

She goes through some stretches finishing at an even par 36, the next a 49. Despite the occasional heartbreak, Rick attends almost every one of his daughter’s matches and practices, teaching rather than playing.

“I gave it all up for her,” Rick said. “I play once in a while. She has a goal and I don’t.”

And for Rick, reaching that goal means watching every step of the way.

“I’d rather miss work and lose money than miss this,” he said.

Tahoma

Boys record: 4-1

Girls record: 3-2

Notable notes: The boys squad is a young and talented group featuring three juniors, five sophomores and seven freshmen. Their lone loss came in a tight 79-83 loss to Kentwood. The Falcons are led by freshmen Parker Kneadler and Colt Sherrell.

“Both of these young men have a lot of junior golf tournament experience and are adapting to high school golf,” said boys head coach Mike Hanson.

Kentlake

Boys record: 2-3

Girls record: 2-3

Notable notes: Both the boys and girls teams have been up and down in 2014 and are looking to finish in the middle of the division. The boys lost two very close matches, while the ladies have either won big or lost big. Girls head coach Barry Smith said Jordan Mulikin is the school’s top golfer, and the only male senior.

“He had a good year last year, but did not perform to his standards at state and is looking to be much improved this year,” Smith said.

Kentwood

Boys record: 5-0

Girls record: 4-1

Notable notes: The Conks expect to be fighting for the top spot in both boys and girls play this year. The boys team out scored its first five opponents this season by a combined score of 415 to 254.