Xavier Boys Varsity Golf team finished eighth overall in the state tournament last season. This year, Head Coach Tim O’Brien and Assistant Coach Patrick Flanagan’s goal is to bring their team to state once again, this time with a much younger team. Last season, 2021 graduates Matthew Schmit and Clayton Nurre led the team as players with their talent and experience. “It truly meant a lot being a senior leader for our team last year. I got to lead the team with my best friend Clayton Nurre. On that team were each of our little brothers (Ryan Schmit and Garrett Nurre) which created a great dynamic since our team was already so closely bonded. The coaches were great and the atmosphere at practice always made it something to look forward to after school,” Xavier graduate Matthew Schmit said. This year’s team may be younger but they have the ability to grow and continue to develop with the help of coaches O’Brien and Flanagan. Assistant Coach Flanagan has been a golf coach at Xavier High School for four years and has been coaching golf for 18 years. “Having experience playing on these courses competitively makes a big difference,” Flanagan said. Junior co-captains, Charlie Allen and Ryan Schmit, are leading the team this season. Charlie and Ryan are experienced players that have played varsity since freshman year. The team is still determined and focused on performing the best they can with the outcomes they desire. “For this year’s team I really hope they are able to perform well. They have so much talent and although the district may be tough if they are able to make it to state they could definitely make some noise. If I could give this year’s team any advice it would be, ‘it is a lot more fun to hit 320 or nukes into the trees, scramble and shoot 76 and it is to play the ball to 150 yards down the middle of the fairway and shoot 74,” Matthew said. Xavier Varsity Boys Golf kicked off their season on August 12 at Gardner Golf Course finishing fifth overall out of 16 teams. At their next meet at Hunters Ridge Golf Course, Allen led the team tying second overall individually and the team finished sixth overall. “We have grown even stronger this year by practicing and playing a lot” Ryan said, “We have been able to pick up where we left off last year with the help from the back of our lineup. We motivate each other to get better.” Later this season, the varsity team hopes to continue their state qualifying streak and attend state for the fifth year in a row. This is a goal for the upper classmen, as well as the younger students, like sophomoreGarrett Nurre who is returning for his second season of golf. “My goal for the team this year as an individual player and for my team is to make it to state again,” Garrett said. This was a common answer amongst the team, especially after making the state meet the previous year. “Getting to experience the state golf tournament was always the best part of the year. Our team always had a laid-back energy which really made a really fun experience for us upperclassman, as well as the lower classmen,” Matthew said. With one goal in mind, the Xavier boys and coaches have a plan on how to achieve their goal. “You have to think about what you can do differently than other teams in the tournament; we have to play smarter,” Flanagan said. The boys will continue practicing and preparing for this meet while playing through their season. They must finish in the top three at districts to advance to the state meet. Their next meet will take place at Pleasant Valley Golf Course on Monday, September 20 at 2:30 pm.