The Woodlands looking like a contender in 6A
The Woodlands blitzed the field on the back nine of the final round in the Region II-6A boys tournament last month to comfortable secure a spot in the state tournament. En route to a second-place finish, the Highlanders posted the lowest team score over the last nine holes.
That shows the Highlanders are a legitimate contender in the two-day boys state tournament, which starts Monday at Legacy Hills Golf Club in Georgetown. The Class 5A tournament will be played at Georgetown’s White Wing Golf Club.
“We have a very good shot at the top three, and if we play well enough like we did on the back nine at our regional tournament, then I don’t see why we can’t win it,” said senior Andrew Rodriguez of The Woodlands, who will make up part of the Highlanders’ fiveman squad.
“We played our back nine 6 under (at Cottonwood Creek Golf Course in Waco) and the rest of the teams were playing over par. We were the only team to not shoot in the 80s one day and play the back nine under par.”
The Highlanders are seeking their fifth boys state golf championship and first since 2012, when The Woodlands’ B team won state.
Joining The Woodlands at state from the Houston area are Kingwood, Stratford and Clear Falls, which finished 1-2-3 respectively in the Region III qualifier last month at Eagle Pointe Golf Club. Stratford senior Matthew Riedel, who won the Region III individual championship, is the defending state champion.
“It was nice to qualify as a team,” said Vanderbilt-signed Riedel, who helped secure the Spartans a spot among the 12 teams competing for state supremacy.
The Woodlands is playing at state for the first time since 2016.
“If we play well enough we can medal,” Highlanders coach Eric Noski said. “If nothing else try to medal, that top three. And secondly try to score some points for the school for the Lone Star Cup, which you have to be in the top five.
“I’ve got two seniors (Rodriguez, Andres Anzaldua), one junior (Lucas Wright), two freshmen (Carson Ezell, Will Jordan). We’re peaking right now when we are supposed to, which is a good thing right before the biggest tournament of the year. I’m excited. I’ve got some senior leadership plus some hungry freshmen ready to jump in the fire.”
Defending champion and Region IV winner Austin Westlake qualified two teams to state and is one of the favorites. Austin Vandegrift, which finished ahead of The Woodlands in Region II and second at state a year ago, is a serious threat as is Region I winner Southlake Carroll.
With its deep pool of talent, Kingwood shouldn’t be taken lightly. The Mustangs return three players from last year’s sixth-place state finisher. Their lineup includes twins Holden and Hayes Hamilton. Rounding out the team are junior Damin Strydom, who won the Region III individual title as a freshman and sophomore, Ty Nicar and Luke Stayton.
“They have a really good idea of what they have to do there to compete,” Kingwood coach Jeff Bellnap said. “We’ve kind of shot the same scores the last two years and they know if they do that again, that’s right where they’re going to finish again. They know what they have to shoot and how they have to play to be able to compete at the tournament.”
Clear Falls is comprised of Christian Hernandez, Preston Holmes, Ethan Dahl, Mick Foley and Cameron Curtis.
Houston-area players who will be playing as individuals are Jacob Borow (Brazoswood), Jacob Salazar (Clear Creek), Niko Nebout (Clear Springs) and Matthew Spaulding (Klein Cain).
Montgomery is one of the 12 teams that qualified for the Class 5A tournament. Houston-area individuals competing are Christian Rodriguez (Waltrip), Vishnu Sadagopan (Shadow Creek) and Gavin Franck (Magnolia).