‘I’m not disappointed in you. I’m disappointed for you,? those were the words Boys Varsity Golf Coach Terry Kelley said to his boys after placing Fifth with a 325 score at Regionals on May 29 at Davison Country Club.
‘I think maybe they just put a little too much pressure on themselves and we ended up shooting above our average (318) by six strokes and missed qualifying for the states by seven strokes,? Kelley said. ‘You work hard all year long to get that level and when you get to that level you have play better than average, rather than less than average. We weren’t able to get it done.?
Junior Matt Prince shot the low of the day with 76, while Seniors Doug Schultz, JJ. Lewis and Rollie Giberson all shot an 83 and Senior Eric Curtis finished with 88.
The Wildcats weren’t the only ones with an off day though, Rochester High tied for seventh with 329, which Kelley would have expected to see them higher up the ranks.
‘The course was not in good condition,? he noted. ‘People who have been around that course a long time say that seldom do teams play to their average, so we weren’t unique in that regard.?
Rounding out the top four were Grand Blanc , 316; Schwartz Creek, 317; Clarkston, 319; and Traverse City West, 321.
We knew those three teams would be pretty good. I would have thought that Swartz Creek was the best of the bunch,? Kelley said. ‘I definitely knew Grand Blanc and Clarkston were strong.?
While the boys are disappointed, Kelley said they have accomplished so much in the past three or four years.
‘Just improving, working hard and making it fun,? he noted. ‘Despite in the disappointment over at the regionals, I am excited. It was a great season and I hope the boys are proud of themselves.?
Looking to the future of next year’s team, Kelley is hopeful current varsity backups, Juniors Drew Pappas, Brian Biddle and Matt Prince, along with JV players, Vincent Mancini and Jake Delong will all return.
‘If they come back I think they’ll be improved. They have improved this year for sure, especially given limited starting assignment,? he added, speaking of Biddle, Pappas and Prince.
‘A lot is going to depend on them next year because they have had a couple years of experience. Limited as it might be, we’re going to have lean on them pretty heavily, which would leave two open positions at the varsity level if all those boys come back and improve well enough to maintain their positions.?