This year’s Emmaus golf team has some holes to fill. But the team also has some returning talent from last season and beyond that could help not only fill the void left by four graduates, but also make the team even better this season.

The Hornets graduated their top player in Michelle Cox, a former league and district champ who finished second in the state last season.

Nathan Seidel, Colin Wong and John Minahan also graduated. Add in the transfer of junior John Keba, and the Hornets have four members of their starting eight to replace this season.

The good news is Emmaus has three players in its senior class that are among the best players in District 11.

“We’re not as deep as we’ve been in the past, which is probably going to have some impact in some of these matches,” said Emmaus head coach Mo Bryan, who is in her sixth year at the helm of the program. “Our top three are really, really good, so hopefully that’s going to balance it out. Hopefully the next three are going to pick it up and make up that gap.”

Senior Evelyn Wong, who was selected to the All-East Penn Conference Second Team last season, is a returning district girls champion.

Wong edged Cox in a playoff for last year’s district title. She then placed fourth in the state tournament, where Cox finished as runner up.

Senior Matt Zerfass, an All-EPC First Team selection last year, will be eager to return to the state tournament in 2021 after placing in the top 30 there last season.

Zerfass has been a contributing member of the team for all four years of high school. He is a three-time PIAA East Regional qualifier and finished tied for fourth in last year’s District 11 tournament.

Zerfass is also coming off a Wasser Cup victory with teammate Aiden LeBlanc.

LeBlanc, a senior, was part of the team for his first two years of high school before moving out of the school district last year. Now back at EHS for his senior year, LeBlanc shot 69 in the team’s opening match and will be part of the trio at the top of this year’s line up.

“He’s playing very well,” said Bryan. “He played well when he was away and has been playing well all summer. I’m excited to see him play and to succeed.”

The rest of this year’s team includes seniors Patrick Bova, Quinn Scott, Joshua Skekel and Andrew Taskalos; juniors Anna Farnschlader and Avery Salley; and sophomores Noah Shurman, Andrew Kleist and Zachary Yenawine,

The Hornets opened the season on Aug. 19 with a sweep of Central Catholic, Freedom and East Stroudsburg South.

They won three more matches in their home opener Aug. 24 at Brookside Country Club, where they picked up victories over East Stroudsburg, Pocono Mountain West and Nazareth to improve to 6-0.

The biggest challenge of the season for Emmaus could come on Thursday, Sept. 2 at Bethlehem Municipal when they square off against defending District 11 champ Liberty.