The Fountain Hills Middle School golf team completed its season this past weekend with the middle school championship at McDowell Mountain. Out of 15 teams, the Falcons placed 10th.

The Falcons have come a long way since the season started, and head coach Bob Buczek wanted to thank his athletes, and all the community support he received in his first year.

“It’s so important to have local support,” Buczek said. “It’s also important to let them know how much it means to the kids having a community supporting them and our golf program.”

Desert Canyon Golf Course and FireRock Golf Course both opened their doors for the middle school team. Desert Canyon hosted a match for the Falcons and let them practice nine holes once a week. FireRock also let the team practice on their grounds this season.

The middle school team needed all the support it could get at the start of the year. The former golf coach stepped down because he wanted to spend more time with his newborn baby, and the middle school initially thought about cancelling the golf program since it was without a coach.

Angie Buczek works at the middle school as a counselor and PBIS support specialist, and she called her husband when she heard the news. Bob Buczek had previously coached basketball and baseball in Michigan, and he has played golf since he was 13 years old. Bob said he and his wife are avid golfers, and Angie joined on as the assistant coach.

The middle school golf team has played once a week since the first week of September and has taken two second place finishes and one first place finish this season.

Savannah Simonson has been a star, according to Buczek, taking two first-place finishes in the girls flight and one first place overall finish. Simonson won the girls long drive and finished fifth overall in the girls flight at the championship last weekend.

Hanson Remm has been the most improved over the course of the season, and Adam Obergs has been a leader on the team ever since he switched from football to golf. The other students on the team include Tegan Wolff and Jack Albrecht.

“The team has been a joy to work with and the kids keep getting better with every practice and match,” Buczek said. “I'm looking forward to next year with the returning team and growing the golf program at the middle school.”