The Briarwood Academy golf team ended a solid year by placing fourth in the GISA Class A state golf tournament last week at Ironwood Golf Club in Cordele.
Senior Price Chalker was Low Medalist for the Bucs at the state meet with an 86. He was followed by junior Carson Wiley with an 88, Dalton Reese with a 92, Blake Sowell with a 96 and Brandon Brewer with a 97.
"We only had three teams in our region, and all placed in the top four in the state," 15-year golf coach Dennis Coxwell said, adding that David Emanuel Academy of Stillmore placed first in the state, followed by Thomas Jefferson Academy of Louisville in second place.
This year the Buc golfers were led by their only senior, Chalker, who has been a top player for the Bucs, according to Coxwell. He was named the team's Most Valuable Golfer for 2008 and 2009.
"We're really going to miss him," Coxwell said. "He's been a great leader for the past two years.
"We had a good solid team," he continued. "We were 15-9 for the year. We peaked at the right time and could have done better in state, but we had a couple of "tough scoring" days, and they just happened to be at region and state."
The young Buc golf team has a bright future, according to Coxwell, who adds that he has some excellent golfers returning.
"We're going to be a very good team next year," he said. "They're a fairly young team, and they learned some valuable lessons this year on how to play and score. They made a lot more progress this year than their scores reflect. Next year will be exciting."
In addition to Wiley, Sowell and Brewer, Coxwell expects to have Trey Stadler, Taylor Coxwell and Ashton Wiley return.
