Gazette MVP: Medina's Trent Riedel makes transition to high school look easy

Put a golf club in the hands of Medina freshman Trent Riedel and his transformation from an average, mild-mannered teenager into a calm, level-headed veteran is complete. Riedel broke into the high school golf scene with a 2-under-par 69 at Chippewa Golf Club, finishing third at the Polar Bear Invitational to lead the Bees to third. He never looked back. Through Riedel's steady play of minimizing bad shots, being able to mitigate them when they did and hitting a ton of good shots, he was the only Medina County boys golfer to never shoot higher than 80 this season. The sterling 36.8 nine-hole average that led the area by more than a stroke earned him Gazette MVP. "Off the course, he's 14 and he's a freshman with a lot of the same fears, apprehensions and bravado of any 14-year-old," Medina coach Mike Mozingo said. "You put him on a golf course and he turns into a 30-year-old. It's almost like he's two different people. "He's a confident kid anyways, but as a golfer he's mature. He doesn't make a lot of the mistakes that high school golfers make." Riedel was right where he belonged from the get-go after playing a highly competitive summer schedule. Previously, Riedel was accustomed to playing purely as an individual. The adjustment to a team-oriented mindset fit Riedel perfectly, as seniors Cam Stafford and Colin King helped him find his footing. "I'm really appreciative for the team," Riedel said. "Cam always had a positive attitude throughout the season. So was Colin King. He was always the one to make someone laugh or smile." Riedel plays with textbook approach and mentality. His ability to hit shots with precision is uncanny, setting him up to score well on most holes. He finds most fairways off the tee, then puts the ball seemingly where he wants on the green to set up easier putts. "He does a lot of things that most good golfers do," Mozingo said. "He's able, for the most part, to put bad and good shots behind him. He's the best iron player I've ever had, bar none. He makes a lot of birdies, because he doesn't hit it very far from the cup." As good as Riedel is with his irons, he said his ability to set up good iron shots helped the most. After working through some difficulties with his driver throughout the summer, Riedel was locked in by the time the high school season came around. "I'm definitely a better player from the middle of the fairway," he said. "Having easier shots into the greens than being in the trees definitely helps. I wasn't that consistent before the season, but something clicked with the driver." Riedel's game was never better exemplified than when he broke the Medina record with a 4-under-par 68 — the best 18-hole score in the county this season — at the first Greater Cleveland Conference Tournament. That kicked off a run by Riedel and the Bees to the league championship. "By the time I saw him, he had played probably five holes," Mozingo said. "I asked him how he was doing and he said, 'Minus-2'. I drove away and I wasn't thinking school record. I saw him again at the turn and he was minus-4. "He was minus-6 after 11, and then he apologized afterwards because he was only 4 under. He was mad (about a double bogey on No. 16). That's the key to him being better. He's not satisfied breaking school records." Expecting Riedel to grow and get better is a natural conclusion. It's also a scary thought for opponents, who already saw him put his tremendous skills on display. "I really don't think he's anywhere close to his ceiling," Mozingo said. "He's very coachable, too. He's a better player than I ever was, but he asks for advice and is willing to listen and absorb. "He's not done growing. He'll get stronger and longer (distance)." After falling short of competing in a tiebreaker for one of the final two individual state qualifying berths at the Pine Hills Division I District, Riedel already is working toward a specific goal. "Hopefully, I'll make it to state the next three years," Riedel said. "Maybe get a school record here and there, but I really want to compete at the state tournament." Working on the mental part of the game and staying in the moment is where Riedel wants to improve. Riedel demonstrated the mindset to improve on multiple occasions, but one stood out to Mozingo. During a practice, the coach set up putts one club length away from a cup at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock and called for each player to make 12 in a row before finishing practice. Riedel was the last one done. Mozingo told Riedel to finish practicing before Mozingo went into the clubhouse. When Mozingo returned, Riedel was still completing the task. "That says a lot about him, too," Mozingo said. "He wants to be better. He loves golf. You can't manufacture that kind of passion." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.