EPHRATA — Dan Molitor, a 1995 EHS graduate, played collegiate golf at Columbia Basin College and Eastern Washington University, then competed in 2000 on the Cascade Tour and Arizona Southwest Tour as a PGA member. When his playing career ended, coaching became the next chapter. 

Initially, that started with family. Molitor has spent more than six years coaching his son Seve, an eighth-grader who is already turning heads on the golf course, and daughter Sophie, a freshman on the EHS girls team.

Molitor's mentoring expanded last spring. In his first year leading the Tiger boys program, Molitor earned Coach of the Year honors after his squad went 8-0 in Central Washington Athletic Conference play and won the district title.

In his second season, Molitor welcomes an EHS squad that returns a roster with proven talent. Now, the aim is to enhance each player's game.

"My goal as head coach is to meet each athlete where they are, provide the guidance and skills they need to improve, and inspire them to be stronger, more confident and creative in their approach," he said.

The Tigers return three All-CWAC honorees from last spring's dominant squad. Junior Caiden Weber was a first-team selection, senior Cody Ogle was named to the second team, and senior Caleb Moberg received honorable mention.

Moberg and Weber, both two-time All-CWAC honorees, also qualified for the state tournament last year and Weber survived the opening-round cut to play on the second day. Weber also qualified for state as a freshman.

They are among 16 golfers who turned out this season. A freshman, Noah Castillo, is making a positive early impression, earning a spot as the No. 4 man in each of the Tigers' two initial non-league matches.

Defending last year's perfect pod record won't be easy in 2026, said Molitor, who expects Grandview, East Valley (Yakima) and Othello to challenge this season.

"It will be a shootout each week," he said.

Ephrata's scheduled home opener at Lakeview Golf and Country Club was postponed due to snow and will be rescheduled later in March. The Tigers' next action is Monday, when they travel to the Grandview Boys Golf Invite at Black Rock Creek Golf Course in Sunnyside at 1 p.m.

Molitor is assisted by Larry Redfield, who brings more than five years' experience to the program after coaching at a private school in western Washington, and Carter Burns, an EHS Class of 2023 golfer in his first season with the team.

Off the course, there are plans for extended community outreach this summer: a junior golf clinic is tentatively slated in July at Lakeview Golf and Country Club.