Persistence pays off for Tascosa boys golf in run to UIL state tournament

After nearly 60 years, the Amarillo Tascosa boys golf team finally broke its drought.

Tascosa is heading to the UIL Class 5A state tournament for the first time since 1965 after shooting 619 as a team and finishing third in the Region I tournament last week. The state tournament takes place at Legacy Hills Golf Club in Georgetown from April 29-30.

It’s been a long time coming for the Rebels and especially coach Trey Scales, who views the feat as the culmination of a long and arduous season.

“It’s been a battle all year to figure out if we’re going to be in this thing,” Scales said. “We’ve played to our strengths all year at every tournament we’ve been to… and that’s allowed us to make it to this point.”

Representing Tascosa at the state tournament will be senior Brady Holmes, who shot 150 over the two-day regional tournament, alongside juniors Grant Young, Joseph Bybee, Derek Darnell and freshman Slayde Stevens. Those five and Tascosa’s eight other players share a bond on and off the golf course and routinely spend time with each other after school and on weekends.

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Scales enjoys the camaraderie the Rebels share with each other, believing it’s played a role in their success this season.

“All of them have a really good friendship going,” Scales said. “They go to lunch together, they go play and practice with each other on the weekends and just try to have fun together.”

Even though none of Tascosa’s players have competed in a state tournament, Scales said he is confident they’ll handle the pressure. That’s because he tries to create that kind of pressure in the Rebels’ practices.

Scales creates the pressure by raising expectations for each practice. Before the regional tournament, he challenged every player competing to beat their qualifying score from the district tournament during practice. He also sets aside time to have his players hit several successful chip shots in a row, making them start over if they don’t reach the necessary distance to the hole.

Sometimes, he’ll give his players scenarios where they must rally from being behind one or multiple strokes to win a match. Scales said he feels those moments in practice have now paid off.

“I’ve tried to put them in as many pressure situations as I can,” Scales said. “That way, when those tournaments come around and they feel that extra pressure, they’re able to utilize what they learned and handle it well.”

Scales said he is confident about Tascosa’s game plan for the state tournament. He hopes Holmes, Young, Bybee, Darnell Stevens are smart with what kind of clubs they use on each hole, especially on par 3s. On par 5s, Scales hopes the five don’t “go for it” so they’re able to handle each stroke.

“You can go for every par 5 in the Texas panhandle, and then all of the sudden… you have to be able to hit a 110-yard wedge shot,” Scales said. “We hope to get in the habit of being smart depending on what distance we’re at.”

Scales said he is confident the Rebels will stick to that game plan, and believes his team can compete with any team in the state tournament.

“We know we can compete at the highest level in Texas,” Scales said. “We’ve got the game, we’ve got the depth, we’ve got the scoring. The expectation is that we can win this thing.”

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Here's how persistence paid off for Tascosa boys golf team