|
Coach Sam Warren, Peter Mladenovic, Blake Pugh, Jeff Litwak, Thomas Birdsey, Matt Lorence, Coach Steve Alexander
|
Carroll Golf Overcomes Setbacks at State
There are few moments in sports more trying for athletes than playing flat and then having to sit around and think about it for an extended period.
Just waiting in itself, even after playing well, can mess players up after they've psyched themselves up to compete in a big meet with high stakes on the line.
The Carroll boys golf team found itself in a challenging position at last week's Class 5A state golf meet. After shooting a first-round 299 to reach fourth place as a team, the Dragons had to sit and wait to get things started due to a six-hour rain delay.
But instead of letting the circumstances sink the team, Carroll came back out with an inspired effort, playing great golf in a shortened nine-hole final round to make up ground and finish second only to defending champion Austin Westlake.
The turnaround that let the Dragons capture silver at state spoke volumes regarding the quality of Carroll's golfers this season, coach Matt Glenn said of his team.
"In those situations [with long delays], you really have a chance to go flat," said Glenn, who's led Carroll's boys and girls team to Austin to collect four state championships since 2004. "Apparently, those guys got their minds right.
"Mentally is really the most important part of the game, especially at the state golf level," he said. "The big part was how well they responded right after the delay."
Shooting a second-day 142 over nine holes on Day 2, the Dragons finished with a two-day 441, 14 shots behind Austin Westlake (427) and one in front of third-place San Antonio Reagan (442) to claim second. Senior Thomas Birdsey led the charge for Carroll, shooting a two-day 105 (70-35) to finished tied for third overall individually.
Blake Pugh was not far behind, shooting a 108 (73-35) to finish tied for 12th, while Matt Lorence (113), Peter Mladenovic (115) and Jeff Litwak (119) rounded out the Dragons effort.
Posting a 142 on the second day, with par being 144 over those nine holes, was quite a feat, Glenn said.
"That's one of those golf courses where par is a really good score," Glenn said of the Jimmy Clay course in Austin. "To have five guys that were legitimately under par, that says a lot about them.
"To come back that way in such a shortened amount of time was pretty amazing."
Carroll's strong finish that allowed the team to medal was an improvement from the program's last trip to the boys 5A state tournament two years ago, when the Dragons finished eighth. But none of the golfers on this year's team were at the 2008 state meet.
Last season, Carroll fell short of reaching the state tournament altogether, while the girls went on to capture their second consecutive state title. This time, it was the boys turn to show that they deserved to be competing among the best high school teams in Texas.
That doesn't mean that it didn't hurt the Dragons when they fell just a few strokes shy of their ultimate goal.
"They were disappointed, sure," Glenn said. "There's no doubt that they wanted to win a state championship and they were doing everything possible to get there. But you set your goals every year ... and shoot for the stars.
"When you look back at all that they did in terms of maturing and growing and improving throughout the season, it's really not bad to be the second best in Texas. Just because it's not gold, it's not the end of the world. They accomplished a lot."
Glenn said his seniors - Birdsey, Litwak, Lorence and Mladenovic - all headed for college programs, were instrumental in his team's success. Adding Pugh, a junior who found his confidence and became a force, the team gelled.
Now, Pugh's return, along with juniors Vince Martino and Matt Isler, as well as freshmen Corbin Kasten and Matt Gilcrest, are expected to keep the level of golf high heading into next season.
"It's been an extremely good ride with this group," Glenn of this year's team. "They exceeded my expectations for them in just about every way possible."
Get this and other Southlake news at www.southlakejournal.com.
|
