Plainsmen Look to Make a Run at State Golf [VIDEOS]
It’s a big two days for the Laramie High School golf teams, as they take part in the Wyoming High School State Golf Championships for Class 4A.
This culminating event is taking place at 3 Crowns Golf Course in Casper on Friday and Saturday.
Laramie has never won a state golf championship as a team, but the 2020 Plainsmen have a chance.
Head coach Carlos Mellizo feels they have a shot at it.
“When I look at our numbers and our potential, we stack up favorably with any team in the state. We have kids that are capable of shooting into the 70s anytime they step out on the golf course, and anytime you’ve got a handful of guys that can do that, you’re going to be dangerous.”
Leading the way are seniors Andrew Stannard and Titus Wookey, along with junior Jackson McClaren. Laramie’s biggest competition may come from Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East, and Jackson.
KOWB’s David Settle talked with Stannard and Wookey about this season, playing 3 Crowns, their chances, and what they’ll be focusing on.
Another top golfer for Laramie High School is senior Camryn Nagy. She’s an all-state performer, who finished seventh a year ago. Nagy talked about this final state tournament, her nervousness playing in Casper, plus some of her strategy.
Laramie has shown improvement throughout the 2020 season according to Mellizo. He knows they’ve had fewer chances to play because of the virus situation but they’ve made the most of their opportunities.
“It’s been really, really rewarding to watch this team grow in various, different ways. We started off the season playing in Rawlins, and from that point on, we’ve just seen some steady growth from all our players. We’ve emphasized some of the basic fundamentals that are so important, short putts and things like that, and really trying to minimize strokes around the green. This team has responded. We’ve had some wonderful leadership from our seniors, and we’re looking forward to seeing what happens at state.”
Mellizo admitted he’s not as familiar with 3 Crowns Golf Course, as some others, but they did walk the course on Thursday and have enough players with knowledge of the course to put together a good plan of attack.
“What I’m told is it’s a target golf course. There’s a lot of holes that have some trouble, lots of sand and things like that, that we’ll need to be prepared for. Our game-plan is to try to keep it simple, not try to play outside of ourselves, hit big targets when we can, and take our punishment but not turn a small mistake into a big number.”
It’s a shotgun start at 9 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.