Boys’ golf team wins area championship
Even multiple days later, the elation has not worn off very much for the Jones County boys’ golf team.
And they have every bit of reason to be soaking it all in. On April 27, the Greyhounds didn’t just advance to the May 18-19 state tournament, but they did so in style, winning the area tournament in what’s believed to be the first time in program history. A top-two area finish also means that JCHS can bypass sectionals for a spot in the state tournament.
“It felt good. Those boys deserve it. It means a lot to them, and it’s something that they’ll never forget,” Greyhounds head coach Lance Pittman said. “It’s special because it’s just so hard to win an area tournament in the state of Georgia. That gives them more confidence for the state tournament.”
All season long, regardless of match results, Jones County has had its eyes on winning an area title, being laser-focused on what it would take to perform well enough to make history.
“Every match, our boys have played all year, we knew 315 was the score that won the area last year. So after every match, we’d double our scores to see if we were close to 315,” Pittman said. “So even if we won a match, we were not happy if our score was not under that. They all knew what they wanted to shoot for, and were like, ‘we’re not going to sectionals, coach,’ we’re going straight to state.”
The determination was evident before the Greyhounds even headed to the course last Monday at the team hotel, when Pittman went to make sure all golfers were awake, finding each of them up and ready to play.
“They were already up and eager to play,” Pittman said.
From there, play began with JCHS paired with Starr’s Mill, beginning an 18-hole round in which Cash Bearden and Hayes Miller shot a 76, Cooper Perry had an 80, and Dixon Dowling fired an 81.
The Greyhounds’ top four rose to the occasion late. Miller rallied back to birdie no. 18, one hole after a double bogey, a span that moved the Greyhounds to the lead. Jones County, which ended up winning by three strokes, closed out its match with Starr’s Mill thanks to Dowling, going down to the final hole.
And that was after being told just before teeing off on the final hole that his score on a previous hole had been changed from a double bogey to a triple bogey, tightening the margin.
“That kind of news when you thought you just took the lead, that can rattle you. Stepping up on the No. 18 tee — that’s one more thing to get in your head,” Pittman said. “But he walked up there and laced it down the middle, got it on the green, and made par.”
The Lady Hounds’ season also continued after last week’s area tournament. By way of a fourth-place finish, Jones County advanced to this past Monday’s sectional round.
Sarah Davis’ round of 85 was the second-lowest of all players. Other top scores for JCHS were Kendyl Thomas at 105, Lainey Daugherty and Brooke Davidson at 116, and Ensley Barnes’ round of 117.
