The Saguaro men’s golf team won a crucial Division II league match against Desert Mountain and Vista Grande at McCormick Ranch Golf Club, Tuesday. 

With the state championship just weeks away, this league win was important to keep the teams' playoff hopes alive. The match came down to the final pairing, as the Sabercats won by one stroke.

The win was the first win at their home course this season as the team tends to struggle at McCormick Ranch due to the fast greens and the Sabercats struggle with its short game. 

This took all five guys to accomplish and some of the underclassmen came in clutch when some of their teammates were struggling. Saguaro freshman Henry Sheperd and 14-year-old freshman Charlie Slessman each scored well enough to help the team compete.

“I’m proud of the younger guys as we have had a couple of freshmen step up and really fill in some spots that we lost last year,” said senior Joey Harmon.

The scoring average is crucial for the team to get back to the state championship like they did last season. The AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association) takes the top seven scores from each Division II team and drop two scores from the total team score to rank the top eight teams that qualify for state. 

A win in this league doesn’t matter, but the team’s overall scoring average does matter towards qualifying for state.  

“This was a big match for us because it’s important for us to get some good scores and make sure our scoring average is dropping so that teams behind us don’t kick us out of the top 10,” said Harmon.

The team is ranked ninth in Division II, and the top 10 teams get to go to state as a team. However, the team has a three-stroke advantage over the 10th spot. 

The players have been playing at a higher level as of late, but a common problem this season has been staying consistent. 

“We have been hit and miss all year and today hasn’t helped us towards our goal of staying in contention,” said head coach Bob LaRue. 

The mood after the match was tense and serious, as there is still a lot to be done before they can relax and prepare for the state championship.

A highlight from this match was a birdie on the fourth hole from sophomore Barrett Bowers. The hole has water on the left, plays 440 yards, and is one of the longest holes on the entire course. However, Barrett still managed to boom his tee shot to the fairway and hit his second shot to within five feet for an easy one-putt. 

Also, key player Joey Harmon started his round two-over-par through two holes and still managed to save his round with pars on the back nine. Harmon is set to beat his personal best scoring average from last season as he has a 1.36 handicap. 

After the match, sophomore Brody Carrithers emphasized the improvements they need to make.

“We need to work on our short game as our drives and iron-play are good, but we have a tough time getting the ball in the hole,” said Carrithers.

The Sabercats have two league matches remaining, including a tough challenge in a league match against Arcadia at  Arizona Country Club on Thursday.