After missing out on the 2020 spring sports season due to COVID-19, the Hillcrest Academy Raven Golf team is ready to hit the course this year under the direction of a new head coach.

Phil Schintler will serve as head coach for Hillcrest golf beginning in 2021. He takes over from Steve Nelson who was in charge of the Raven program since 2016. Schintler is not new to Hillcrest Academy or the coaching ranks. He has served as an assistant coach on the Raven baseball team since 2016. Schintler’s coaching career has included stints as a bowling coach for the youth program at Colonial Lanes in Iowa City, head Iowa City, City High bowling coach from 2001 to 2006, assistant wrestling coach at Lone Tree in 2016 and 2017 and current Waterloo West assistant wrestling coach, and coach within Iowa City, Washington Township and Tri-County baseball for a decade. Schintler spoke with KCII sports this spring about why he started coaching, what he enjoys about the profession and what has him most excited about the upcoming golf season. “I’ve had great coaches in the past, in bowling when I was younger, on the wrestling mat in high school.  Learning important values from those coaches. I want to pass those on to these kids. Coaching is obviously much more than coaching, it’s about life lessons and applying them to your life. I’m trying to pay it forward. It’s fun watching the kids succeed. What I like about Hillcrest is it’s small and we can get a lot of one on one work in. The good thing about already being in the school is that I have built relationships with the kids and that carries through. They are really hard workers and they listen well. They want to get better and they want to have some fun. All of those things are going to make for a great year this year.”

Schintler and the Ravens will open the season Thursday, April 8th when they host the Highland Huskies at the Kalona Golf Course.