Lake Creek makes charge on 2nd day, wins 1st state title
GEORGETOWN — As Sam Hochhauser and his assistant coach, Matt Hamilton, stood in the shade underneath a sprawling oak tree near the 18th green at White Wing Golf Course, the coaches from Smithson Valley and Texarkana Texas approached to offer their congratulations.
As both walked away, Hochhauser turned to his Lake Creek players and uttered the phrase they had been waiting over an hour to hear.
“OK, guys,” he said with a big smile. “Now you can celebrate.”
Lake Creek came from behind to win the UIL Class 5A boys golf state championship Tuesday afternoon. It marked the first title for the program, which Hochhauser has built from the ground up, beginning in 2018.
“Can’t describe it,” Hochhauser said. “I don’t know if it’s hit me all the way yet, but it’s a great feeling. Being here since the school opened, being a part of the program since we opened five years ago and watching it grow into the program it is today, it’s pretty special.”
Lake Creek entered the final round in fourth place, six shots off the lead. But the Lions delivered a resounding performance to close out the event, firing a 4-over-par 292. It was 11 shots better than Monday and was the lowest round of the tournament.
Lake Creek finished at 19over with a two-day score of 595. That was six shots better than runner-up Smithson Valley (601). Frisco Wakeland (605) and Texarkana Texas (607) followed.
“There was a lot of pressure on the boys all year long,” Hochhauser said. “Everyone’s been telling us for a long time that this is our year. It’s just been about keeping them grounded. They’re good kids, so they were grounded the entire time. They knew what we came here to do. Yesterday, we didn’t get off to the start we wanted to, but the resilience they showed today was second to none.”
Tuesday was also graduation day for the Lake Creek seniors, who celebrated post-round with a special ceremony.
Hoisting the state championship trophy made it even sweeter.
“It’s awesome just being with the team,” said senior Brecken Franklin, who finished tied for seventh after firing rounds of 77 and 69. “We’ve fought hard together all year, and this is just a great position to be in to finally win our last tournament.”
Franklin’s bounce-back round in his third state tournament appearance was invaluable to the Lions’ efforts. So, too, was the play of sophomore Tyler Sanford, who finished fourth after carding a 73 and 69.
“I’m only a sophomore, and we’ve got a huge future coming,” said Sanford, who improved on the ninthplace finish from his freshman season. “We’re returning two other guys, so it feels awesome. For me to play well here two years in a row also feels nice.”
Sophomore Brady Bains, making his first state appearance, wasn’t too shabby, either. He finished tied for 12th place after shooting 74 and 75. Senior Jack Byrd, competing as an individual, tied for 28th after rounds of 76 and 79. Sophomore Brody Knowlton (T-49th, 7980) and senior Bryce McLaughin (63rd, 87-79) rounded out the Lions’ competitors.
“I’m overwhelmed with joy,” Franklin said. “We’ve worked hard all year for this, and I’m speechless.”
Memorial third in 6A
Memorial had another strong showing in the Class 6A championship at Legacy Hills Golf Club, taking third place as a team with a two-day score of 583 (288295).
“‘Be tough’ is something we’ve been preaching all year,” Memorial coach Clayton Brady said. “And just fight. And that’s just what this golf course gives you on the back nine, and I was proud of our guys yesterday and today. The whole way through, that was the message: Why not us? And be tough, see what happens. They did that, and I’m proud of where we finished.”
The Mustangs were led by a standout performance from junior SMU commit Charlie Wylie, who finished third individually. He fired an opening 66 on Monday and closed with a 71 to finish seven strokes under par.
“All year, he’s just been a stud,” Brady said. “Scoring average was even par going into this tournament, so that’s obviously going to go down. Normally, kids, after they commit to go somewhere (for college), they kind of tail off and don’t play as well, and he’s done the exact opposite. It says a lot about him and his character and his work ethic. Charlie doesn’t want to talk about Charlie, and that’s one of my favorite things about him.”
Junior Gray Gammill (7672) was next up on the leader board for Memorial, finishing tied for 20th. Junior Turner Chiles (75-74) finished tied for 26th with junior teammate David Martinez (71-78). Freshman Austin Le (81-79) rounded out the Mustangs’ team.
The Woodlands entered the day in fourth place, just four shots back of the lead. The Highlanders did not perform as well in the final round, however, finishing sixth with a two-day score of 592 (290-302).
The Woodlands, the Region II champion, was led by junior Daniel Zou, who finished tied for 12th after rounds of 69 and 77.
Stratford finished seventh with a score of 598. The Spartans were led by junior Ben Potter (74-73), who finished tied for 16th.
Clear Lake rounded out the Houston-area teams with a 12th-place finish, posting a 638. The Falcons were paced by senior Jonathan Meng (74-74), who tied for 20th.