The boys varsity golf team left their tournament at the Lake of the Ozarks with a 6th place title win and a score of 326. 

The team competed against 23 other teams from around the state at the tournament in the Ozarks on Wednesday, April 6. 

Ryan Hopwood, junior, said he is proud of the team’s 6th place trophy and the way his team played.

“I think that the team is starting to look a lot better,” Hopwood said. “We’re going to continue to get even better as the season goes on with upcoming practices and matches.”

Hopwood said a large reason the team is continuously improving is because of the three seniors.

“We all love the seniors and really look up to them,” Hopwood said. “They give great pep talks and it’s always fun to be around them.”

Harrison Cross, senior, said he likes being able to represent himself to the younger players on the team. 

Cross said he felt good about his performance at the tournament, and said he made minimal mistakes, but he wishes the team placed slightly higher.

“I feel like the team’s performance was not our best,” Cross said. “I wish we had two or three more strokes to place as a team.”

Despite the team’s placement, Cross said he is glad he got to travel to the lake with his team because he is graduating soon and is close to the younger players.

“These out of town tournaments allow us to spend good quality time together as a team, and we get to know other teams that go to the tournament,” Cross said. 

Eric Schweain, head coach, said he is happy to see the athletes taking advantage of out-of-town tournaments. 

“As a coach, I want to incorporate out-of-town tournaments into the season to get the team to bond,” Schweain said. “I’m trying to bring comradery into golf as it’s moving toward a team sport.”

Schweain said he is using the tournaments and matches early in the season to rotate his players. It will eventually come down to the five players in which Schweain is most confident in to take to Districts. 

Due to COVID-19, in 2020, the season was canceled completely, and in 2021, the season had strict regulations. Schweain said no matter how well his team does, he is just relieved to finally have a normal season.

“For me, it’s been extremely refreshing to get back to a sense of normalcy and see my players do what they love to do,” Schweain said.