A year ago in Austin, the Hornets finished in fourth place overall and a five-hole playoff defeat cost Aaron Massey the individual championship.
Massey, along with two returners and two newcomers, seek better results at the University Interscholastic League State Tournament today and Friday at Roy Kizer Golf Course in Austin.
“There’s some really good competition,” said Gatesville coach Guy Dean, whose team was the Region III runner-up to District 17-3A rival Robinson.
Five of the eight teams in the 2007 field return. Powerhouse Castroville Medina Valley is sending two teams and is a strong favorite to repeat as state champion.
Massey shot rounds of 75 and 70 for a 3-over-par 145 but fell on the fifth hole of a playoff to Medina Valley’s Curtis Reed, who returns to defend his title. So close last year, Massey, a junior, hopes his second trip is the charm.
“He’s a pretty self-motivated kid,” Dean said. “He’s very diligent. He’s been working on the mental part and dealing with the ups and downs. He’s handled adversity a lot better than he did in the past.”
Sophomore Chance Cathey looks to atone for a first-round 84 at state last year while junior Hunter Abbott seeks to improve from his final-round 83. An alternate last year, sophomore Preston Timmons is eager to make his state debut.
“Those three live, eat and sleep golf,” Dean said. “They work with each other. They also understand it’s about the team, and if the team hadn’t gotten here they would still really support each other.”
The Hornets’ wild card is freshman Jake Truss, who suffered a broken finger at the end of basketball season. Truss shot a second-round 74 at regionals, a sign his game is continuing to progress.
“Their scores are consistently coming down,” Dean said. “With this group, you don’t always know who is going to be the low scorer.”
A solid first round is a must for the Hornets, something that hampered them last year. Gatesville shot a 312, 20 strokes behind eventual winner Medina Valley, and was in sixth. Despite a final-round 305, the Hornets couldn’t overcome their first-round woes.
“Everybody’s going to be good,” Dean said. “We’ve tried to talk about and realize it’s us against the course. We have to go out and try and put two solid rounds together to have a chance."
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
