Saltillo boys win Class 6A state golf championship
Oct. 31—The Saltillo boys golf team emerged from a tight race at the top to win the Class 6A state championship on Tuesday afternoon at Pines Course in Diamondhead.
It's the first boys golf state championship in school history.
"We've been pretty consistent all year. Through our matches, being in the low 160s in nine-hole matches and around 320 in 18-hole matches," coach Patrick Dillinger said. "We've had a really good year, and I thought we could compete when we went down there."
After the first day of play, The Tigers led the team standings, but Hancock, Picayune and Pascagoula were all within three strokes of them.
When the action concluded, the team went out to eat and go bowling. Even with the most important day of the season right around the corner, the players, especially its four juniors, were relaxed and confident.
"Everybody was relaxed, and they felt very confident in what they had to do the next day," Dillinger said. "And then they went out and they executed. That's the biggest thing. They did a great job of being able to play their game."
By the end of the second day, Saltillo finished 15 strokes ahead of second place. Its junior class occupied the top four spots on the team.
Landon Nelms led the team and finished third overall with a 161. Everett Dabbs finished sixth overall with a 164. Clayton Clayton McCoy was 13th overall with a 171 while Jack Adams was 18th with a 175.
Sophomores Drew Visentin and Travis Wise finished 38th with a 191 and 65th with a 212, respectively.
The state championship comes less than six months after Saltillo finished runners-up in Class 5A last academic year. They finished third the year before.
The MHSAA moved golf from the spring to the fall ahead of the 2023-24 academic year. This allowed Adams, who plays baseball in the spring, to join the golf team. He fit right in with the team, especially its juniors, all of whom saw their work pay off on Tuesday.
"All four of those guys are really good golfers and they work with each other," Dillinger said. "They push each other to be the best they can. They push the other kids that are younger to also be the best we can."
