MP boys? golf begins state meet

By Andy Krutsinger, Mt. Pleasant News

LIVERMORE ? The time has come for the Mt. Pleasant boys? golf team. The Class 3A state golf tournament in Livermore began today (Friday) and will be taking place throughout the weekend.

The first round began today at 10:30 p.m. The second round will be played tomorrow (Saturday) with an 8 a.m. start time.

The Panthers had a full week of practice after punching their ticket to state on Thursday, May 19. Since then, the Panthers have been out at Mt. Pleasant Golf and Country Club working on shots and learning about the Livermore course.

?It?s really nice (with) a lot of water and a lot of positioning shots,? says freshman Jake Moffett. ?The first hole is a really long par four, so those types of things you?ve got to get in your head. You?ve got to know how to hit the shots and where to position yourself.?

Moffett is one of three underclassmen playing for the Panther boys this weekend. He and sophomores Bailey Shelledy and Trace White have been the young blood on a senior-led Panther team all season.

The Mt. Pleasant six, which also includes senior trio Trevor Mabeus, Jeff Cox and Riley Kempker, won their sectional tournament in Burlington and placed second at the district meet in Oskaloosa.

The Panthers aren?t one of the favorites to take home the state crown in Livermore, but not many teams have the depth of Mt. Pleasant. Shelledy talked about the advantage of having six potential scorers during their Meet the Players night on Wednesday.

?We are all around the same level,? Shelledy said. ?One player might be better than another (but) we can always pick each other up if we?re having a bad day.?

The Panthers had a day to walk the course on Thursday before the weekend meet. When today?s action is over, the players will be grouped by their Friday scores, which means the tournament leaders will be playing together on Saturday.