Jonesboro takes 5A
Senior Ben Sherman shot an evenpar 72 on Monday as the Jonesboro Hurricane held off the Hot Springs Lakeside Rams to win the Class 5A boys state golf championship at the Glenwood Country Club.
GLENWOOD – Not even less than ideal conditions could keep Jonesboro from reclaiming its spot atop the golf throne.
Senior Ben Sherman shot an even-par 72 on Monday as the Hurricane held off Hot Springs Lakeside to win the Class 5A boys state golf championship at the Glenwood Country Club.
“I tell you what, I’m just really proud of our kids,” said Jonesboro Coach Blake Mackey, whose team also won the 5A-East Conference title two weeks ago. “Ben had a heck of a round, and that goes a long way. But all the other guys hung in, too.
“Our scores are normally just a little better than they were, but the weather kind of affected everybody. It’s a tricky course, and then the nerves can get to you because it’s a one-round situation. Still, our kids held up and were able to get it done.”
Getting it done was the only thing on Jonesboro’s mind after having its string of eight consecutive state titles snapped a year ago by Paragould. The Hurricane won championships in Class 6A from 2010-2017, but had to settle for fourth place in 2018 when they were reclassified to Class 5A for golf. But Jonesboro more than made up for that finish with a consistent outing despite windy and wet circumstances.
“We began to play a little better towards the end of the season and started thinking we might have a chance at this [title],” Mackey explained. “We had some expectations coming in but knew it wouldn’t be easy by any stretch. There were some really good teams here.
“But we’re happy with the way it turned out and tickled to get another championship.”
Backed by Sherman’s 72 and senior Caleb Williams’ 8-over par 80, the Hurricane ended with a team score of 320, which was 13 shots better than Lakeside. The Rams, who have finished as runner-ups in the past two state tournaments, suffered a bit of misfortune when a scorecard error disqualified one of their top three scores. The mistake, which wound up being a 25-stroke penalty, cost Lakeside a chance at capturing its first crown since 2014.
Little Rock Christian grabbed third with a score of 336, while Greenwood was fourth at 346.
For defending champion Paragould, all wasn’t completely lost. Junior Simon McBride fired a 5-under par 67 to win medalist honors.
“It was windy and wet, but to be able to still go out and shoot five under feels pretty good,” said McBride, who had seven birdies and two bogeys on the day and is set to move on to next week’s overall tournament at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock.
McBride also shot a 67 and was the medalist during the conference tournament on Sept. 24 at Sage Meadows Country Club in Jonesboro, where the conditions were much more favorable. The fact that McBride was able to duplicate that feat Monday was pleasing to Paragould Coach Jace Watson.
“[The wind] was tough not just him, but for everybody and you can see that because most of the scores were up,” he said. “But Simon was dialed in. He avoided trouble all day and played pretty much flawless.
“With the pressure on, he stepped his game up big time. To be able to come back and shoot 5-under kind of justified what he did at conference. I couldn’t be any prouder of him.”