Benton’s Paxton Lane and the Little Rock Christian Academy team each won 5A state high school boys’ golf championships for the second time Wednesday.
On a day that started windy at the Pine Bluff Country Club, Lane won the individual medalist honor with a 3-under 68, three strokes ahead of LRCA brothers Hogan and Henry O’Keefe, to claim his second title in three years. LRCA repeated as team champion shooting 293, 15 strokes ahead of runner-up Searcy.
Hosting the single-round 5A championships in Pine Bluff is not an annual occurrence. The 2014 5A boys’ tournament was contested at Harbor Oaks.
“We’re certainly excited to be here and thankful Pine Bluff Country Club was gracious enough to let us host it here,” said White Hall School District superintendent Gary Williams, who teamed up with athletic director Mark Cantwell to coach the host Bulldogs this year. “They’ve been wonderful as far as volunteers coming out and supporting the tournament. The club, as a whole, has been very welcoming, and anything we asked, they’ve been certainly able to help.”
Arkansas Activities Association Executive Director Lance Taylor said it was good for the tournament to be back in Pine Bluff.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“I’ve been down here before and played. This is a great setup,” Taylor said. “Lot of volunteers here, and that’s always key to running one of these. You’ve got to have help. A lot of people are doing a good job. The course is in good shape.”
Lane and the O’Keefes kept up their friendly rivalry that saw Henry O’Keefe, a senior, beat Lane 2-up in July’s Arkansas State Golf Association Junior Match-Play at Sherwood’s North Hills.
“This year, I’ve been kind of battling it out with the O’Keefe boys, so it finally feels good to get it done,” Lane said. “It’s great competition and I love them to death.”
The O’Keefes led an experienced Warriors team, as four of the five players are seniors and Hogan is a junior. Nolan Jaramillo was sixth overall after shooting 74, Jack Seago took 16th with a 77, and Charlie Ridings turned in an 80 for 21st.
“We have an incredible group of seniors who have led so well this year,” LRCA Coach Andrew Counce said. “It’s just been a lot of fun and it’s just a great moment for all these seniors who have poured into this program the past two years.”
By Hogan’s account, he and Lane traded leads at one point. But after his final putt, he and his fellow Warriors had plenty to smile about.
“We’ve definitely got a strong team,” Hogan said. “God has blessed us to be in this position. God’s good.”
Rounding out the top 10 individuals: Alex Miller of Searcy and Britton Lynch of Sylvan Hills tied for fourth at 73; and Jaramillo, Berkley Knapp of Harrison, Nate Krumholz of Greene County Tech, Riley Davis of Russellville and Cody Cormican of Mountain Home tied for sixth at 74.
Harrison (310), Russellville (315), Benton (318), Sylvan Hills (319), Mountain Home (320) and Greene County Tech (321) were third through eighth.
White Hall finished ninth with a 338. Sophomore Laythen Hartsfield shot 76, ending up in a five-way tie for 11th.
Teammates Jackson Soto (86), Logan Roach (88), Carson Castaneda (90) and Tyler Earnest (99) competed on the day.
The 5A girls’ state tournament was held Sept. 30 at Ridgepointe Country Club in Jonesboro. Medalist Susanna Manns led Russellville to the team championship.
The AAA’s overall tournament is scheduled for Oct. 16 at Pleasant Valley Country Club.
