Boys Golf: Youthful experience leads Warriors

Brainerd Warrior junior Jack Evans chips to the green at Eagle’s Landing during a practice last week. Steve Kohls/ Brainerd Dispatch

By Jeremy Millsop

April 10, 2017 at 2:45 AM

Senioritis will not be a problem for the Brainerd Warriors this season.

Of the 22 athletes on the Warriors' roster, none are seniors.

That's not to say the Warriors will be inexperienced. In fact, it's the opposite.

Four players return from the team that won the Central Lakes Conference and finished second in the Section 8-3A tournament. It took a miraculous second round by Moorhead in the section tournament to keep Brainerd out of the state tournament.

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Warrior Boys Golf

Head coach: Brian Wallace, 16th year
2016 finish: Won CLC title, second in Section 8-3A
Returning state player: Gavin Metz
Returning section players: Metz, Jack Evans, Danny Olson, Erik Stoxen
Assistant coach: Brian Gustafson

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So while the Warriors are young, but experienced, there is still unfinished business.

"I don't think there is any coach in our section who wouldn't love to be in our position with four players from the section team from the previous year returning," said Warriors head coach Brian Wallace. "Two of those have state tournament experience. Yes, we're very young, but we have a lot of experience."

As a freshman Gavin Metz advanced to his first state tournament last season by shooting a sixth-place 151 in the section tournament. Metz fired rounds of 77 and 74 in the section and followed with rounds of 83-84 at Bunker Hills in Coon Rapids to place 77th at state.

"Last year, he started with some junior varsity meets and progressively got better and continued that through the section and state tournaments," Wallace said. "He has come back this spring with a whole different kind of mindset, I think. Having been there once already, just last year, I think his expectations are very high for himself and you can kind of see it."

Metz finished 14th in the final CLC standings to help Brainerd to the team title.

"He has tremendous hands around the green," said Wallace. "He has solid iron shots, one after the other. The only thing that could improve for him this year may be a little more length off the tee. His accuracy makes up for his length and his ability to hit solid iron shots overcomes any problems he faces."

Jack Evans is the other Warrior with state experience. The junior captain also advanced to state as a freshman and last year won the CLC individual title. He tied for 12th at the section meet with rounds of 80-77 for a 157 to miss a repeat trip to state.

"He was very disappointed that he didn't get back to the state tournament, but you want to talk about somebody who has a different look in his eye, it would be Jack Evans," Wallace said. "He's been named our captain and for good reason. Not only is he capable of playing this game at a high level, he's a great role model to the younger kids and we are expecting, performance-wise, the same kind of performance as last year.

"His strength is his length off the tee and he really plays toward that strength. He is very accurate as well. That sets him up for a lot of birdie chances and that's the strength of his game."

Danny Olson was 17th in the final conference standings and 25th at the section, but may have been the most consistent player on last year's team. The sophomore is entering his third year of varsity golf.

"Danny did a lot of work on the mental side of the game as the season progressed last year," said Wallace. "He had experience as an eighth-grader on the section team and then came back as a ninth-grader and really did play consistently. He reached a new level last year and you could see that confidence build because he did a good job with mental prep."

As a seventh-grader, Erik Stoxen came out firing at the varsity level. He finished 19th in the conference and 34th in his first section meet.

Despite being a varsity rookie, Stoxen may have expected more from himself. Look for the eighth-grader to improve on his numbers from last year.

"I think Erik got tired midway through the season and that's a lot for a seventh-grader to try to keep up with," said Wallace. "He got a little sick and got a little bit overwhelmed, but he is a great competitor and he is just itching to get started because he has a lot of work he wants to get done."

A strength of last year's Brainerd team was depth. The Warriors will have to fill the vacancies of the graduated Joe Foley and Andrew Muesing, but Wallace is confident players will fill the void.

Another benefit will be a new Section 8-3A tournament location. Grand View Lodge's Preserve will host this season after Greystone in Sauk Centre was the site for many years.

"To have the section tournament in your backyard, and to have many of your players actually employees of that same corporation, you would think that would really play into us doing very well," said Wallace. "However, no matter how well you think you know a course, golf has a very mean streak to it. It can really knock you down quickly even though you think you might play well at that course.

"We have to go out and play our game and I think we'll do fine. We just can't have too high of expectations for ourselves."

Warrior roster

Juniors: Luke Anderson, Jack Evans, Lucas Johnson, Nicholas Krantz, John Lyonais, Alexander Rice, Pierce Solseth, Alex Stirewalt

Sophomores: Joe Klang, Tanner Larson, Gavin Metz, Danny Olson

Freshmen: Mitchell Borders, Jonah Davis, Cody Evans, Jameson Folden, Daniel Johnson, Tyler Jordan, Nick Renner, Jaron Smith

Eighth-graders: Cole Proctor, Evan Quinn, Erik Stoxen

Schedule

April 10: Central Lakes Conference meet at Rich Springs, 3:30 p.m.

April 17: Central Lakes Conference meet at Cragun's Legacy Courses, 3:30 p.m.

April 18: Central Lakes Conference meet at Wapicada, St. Cloud, 3:30 p.m.

April 20: Pequot Lakes Invite at Cragun's Legacy Courses, 10 a.m.

April 21: Pequot Lakes Invite at Cragun's Legacy Courses, 1 p.m.