Sophomore, five freshmen lead Packers to state golf tournament
May 17—MOULTRIE — Milton High will be seeking its fourth straight Class 7A championship when the two-day state golf tournament teed off on Monday at Sunset Hills Country Club in Carrollton.
Among the 11 teams attempting to dethrone the Eagles are Colquitt County, which will try to do it with a sextet that includes one sophomore and five freshmen.
Milton shot a 284 to win the Area 4 championship and cement its position to claim the title again.
The Packers took third place at the Sectional held on their home course at Sunset Country Club on May 6 to qualify for the state tournament.
Colquitt County coach Andrew Eunice obviously knows his Packers are a long shot to claim the program's first state title since 2006.
But asked about his thoughts heading into the state tournament, Eunice, in his fourth year as the Packers head coach, said, "Our goal is to win."
Colquitt will have by far the youngest of the 12 teams in the field with sophomore Michael Hall the only non-freshman.
The other five are ninth-graders Reese Hood, Leighton Hood, Peyton Collins, Dawson Lane and Jacob Rowell.
The group is coming off a stirring finish at the Sectional that helped claim a state tournament berth.
Hall, who shot a 1-under 71, birdied No. 17 and Reese Hood got a birdie on 18.
Leighton Hood and Collins made par on both 17 and 18.
"That was awesome to see," Eunice said. "It made me wish I was out there with 'em."
Reese Hood shot 78 and brother Leighton shot 79. Collins had the fourth score, an 81.
Hall, one of the top young players in the state, has led the Packers all season and has a stroke average of 71.5.
He shot 70 at both the Camden County Classic at Osprey Cove in Kingsland and at the Area tournament at Sunset.
Hall also turned in a 71 at the Packer Invitational and the Sectional.
The Hood brothers each average 81 per round. Collins has an average 82; Lane, 84; and Rowell, 84.
"They all practice year-round and they all have the potential to shoot in the 70s," Eunice said.
Colquitt will have the advantage of having played the Sunset Hills course on April 19-20, although the Packers did not score particularly well in the Trojan Invitational.
Playing without Hall, the Packers shot 330-340 for a 670 that left them in ninth place.
"We'll learn from the mistakes we made there," Eunice said.
Milton shot 289-281 for a 570 to win the state tournament last year after scoring a 582 in 2022 and a 598 in 2021.
Eunice said he thinks Carrollton, playing on its home course, North Gwinnett and Lambert also should be among the favorites.
Carrollton turned in a 301 to win the Area 1 championship.
North Gwinnett shot a 291 to take first place at the Sectional and Lambert was second in the Area 4 tournament with its 291, seven shots back of Milton.
Lambert was the state runner-up last year and in 2021 and finished third in 2022.
Lowndes, which carded a 303 to finish second in the Area 1 tournament, could have a shot at the title as well.
Also in the state tournament field and their qualifying scores are : Cherokee and North Paulding, 295; West Forsyth, 300; Walton and Harrison, 303; and Mill Creek, 310.
