Jackets getting ready for state tourney
♦ Senior Beau Black’s record round of 67 lifts Calhoun to second at Section B event
The Calhoun High School boys golf team is headed to the 5A state tournament May 20-21 at the Okefenokee County Club in Waycross in Ware County.
Led by senior Beau Black’s record round of 67 Monday at the Section B tournament, Calhoun recorded a team score of 295 to place second behind Midtown, which shot a team score of 290 to win the Section championship.
But that second place earned them another trip to the 5A state finals, in the southeast corner of the state beginning Monday May 20.
“The boys played well,” Calhoun High School head boys golf coach Roger Gresham. “We played very consistent. Beau was really on top of his game, but we had a lot of low scores. I know we had the potential to (win it), because we have six very good golfers and getting four of them to have a good round is something we’re very capable of. But the boys played very well.”
Black, who was Calhoun’s top seeded player, won the Section B tournament by two shots, finishing with a amazing 4-under par 67 while Greenbrier junior Walker Gantt closed with a solid 69, one shot ahead of Midtown junior Ross Smith, who was third with a 1-under 70.
Jefferson senior Tripp Dye was even par with a 71 for fourth and Calhoun sophomore Tripp Morgan began a strong run for the young ones on the team by closing with a 72, putting him a three-way tie for fifth place with a pair of Midtown golfers.
Gresham said the level of play in the tournament was off the charts.
“It was a quality tournament for sure,” he said. “And we knew it would be. But for two teenagers to go out and shoot under 70 and have quite a few more right around par, there was just a lot of good golf. Guys were focused and ready to go from their first shot.”
Calhoun sophomore Baylor Johnson was third for his team, closing with a 75 and fellow tenth-grader Zach Mallandine was fourth for his team, completing the scoring with an 81 on the day.
After that, sophomore Peyton Joy just missed being part of the team score with an 82 and junior Cole Offutt, who was the second seeded for the Jackets to start, shot an 86.
For Black, he began the day with a birdie on his first hold, a bogey on his second and then he pared the third before settling in. He caught fire on the back nine with four birdies in a row during a run of five birdies on six holes to set him up for the Sectional title.
The tournament also featured about an hour-long lightning delay and Gresham was able to talk to all his players about what they needed to do to finish strong.
For Black, he said he thought the key was putting.
“I told him to just relax and focus on hitting a few of those putts,” Gresham said. “I said it,
you’re stroking it well. You’re getting it on the green. We just got to putt it well and he did. He obviously had a great day, but he played very well on the back nine.”
And the coach couldn’t have been happier with the support his senior got from the sophomores.
“You’ve got to be very happy for Tripp Morgan and the round that he played,” Gresham said. “He had his entire game working.
And he played very well for us, especially right after the delay. He birdied a par-5 right away after we started playing again and I think gave him some confident and he had some great shots from there. But very happy for him and what he did.”
That shot and his round also helped a Calhoun team that had dropped to fifth, or out of place to advance to the state tournament, in the team listings get back into second place and put
them right back in the hunt.
Baylor Johnson was just four shots away from even par round and Gresham said he’s another young guy who is really good.
“Baylor did a great job,” he said. “And he’s really been a busy guy because he’s also a football player. So he’s been practicing with the team during the spring workouts and also playing golf for us. He’s an athlete. And he brings a football mentality to it. He’s an aggressive player. But he’s another young player that we’re excited about right now and for the future.”
The coach was also pumped about Mallandine shooting an 81 and breaking into the top
four to be part of the scoring.
“Another sophomore who just did a great job for us,” Gresham said. “Zach played a very good round. He’s another young guy who is still learning, but is getting better every day. We just want him to continue working like he has been.”
The Yellow Jackets knocked 31 shots off their Area 3-5A score they shot to qualify for the Sectional. They came in third as a team with a 326 with Cartersville winning the Area event earlier this month with a 308. Dalton came in second at the Area with a 313.
“Cartersville and Dalton are both very good teams and they both played very well at the Area tournament,” Gresham said. “But we shot much better at Sectional, which is just what you want to see. And we thought we had the potential to shoot that type of score at the Sectional if we hit it well and made a few putts and we did.”
He said now the focus turns to Waycross and having a chance to win a 5A state championship in their finals days in the classification.
“We’re going to go down there and give it our best shot,” Gresham said. “We’ve got some time to work on some things and we’ll use that time to try and make sure we’re at our best on those two days. But I know the guys are excited about this opportunity and I’m excited for them. I’m proud of these guys’ hard work and glad they get to represent Calhoun High School as one of the best (golf) teams in the state.”