Making her move
JACKSON TWP — A new home, new school and new teammates.
None of them kept Kennedy Johnston from turning in a solid junior season on the golf course.
Johnston and her family moved from Florida to Cranberry Township last summer. Having picked up golf when she was 7-years old, it was expected that she would join the girls team at Seneca Valley High School and she did.
She finished the season as the Raiders' top scorer at 41 strokes per nine holes, qualifying for the WPIAL Class AAA championship last fall.
But there was one more golf-related accomplishment headed her way. Shortly before the school year ended, Johnston found out that she had been named an Esmark All-American.
Esmark, Inc., a company involved in the steel, gas and oil business, launched its High School All-American program in 2013. Nominees are judged on their efforts in athletics, academics and community service.
Johnston carries a 3.7 grade-point average and volunteered her time for a local nursing home.
“I'm not sure who nominated me, but I'm very grateful for it,” said Johnston. “It makes me proud of my accomplishments. I will be a lot more confident entering the fall.”
Johnston grew up around the game of golf.
“My dad's whole side of the family is into it,” she said. “I enjoyed driving balls, but it was when I was 11 that I took it a step further. That's when I started taking it seriously.”
In 2012, Johnston came to Cranberry Township to visit family for the majority of the summer. While here, she competed in the U.S. Kids Golf Tour, winning the girls 12-14 age division.
“A lot of the courses we golfed were very challenging, but that was good,” she said. “I needed to get better at the mental aspect of the game.”
Judging from her performance at Seneca Valley last fall, she has done just that.
“Kennedy stays calm and doesn't get in much trouble on the course,” said Raider coach Kevin Wildrick. “Her consistency is the strongest part of her game.”
“I just focused on having fun and realized that one bad shot isn't going to ruin everything,” said Johnston, who said that high school golf in this area is far different from what she experienced in Florida.
“I lived in Navarre, which is in the Florida Panhandle,” she said. “It's a small area and there aren't many girls who play golf. There weren't many matches against another team. Instead, we played in a lot of tournaments.
“I was quite nervous coming into last season, new people, a new coach,” she added. “But I thought the season went well. We did well as a team and I had great coaches and great teammates. I played much better than I did my sophomore year in Florida.”
Johnston will compete in several tournaments this summer, keeping her ultimate goal in mind.
“I want to work on my game,” she said. “I'm hoping it can help me out with finding a college. I want to play golf there, too.”
