Standing on the practice green, waiting for their names to be called, Drew Mendoza and Adin Berns had been in this situation before, waiting for their  turn to tee off at the biggest tournament of the year.

“There is definitely a difference every time we step on the state tee box,” said Mendoza (12). Both he and Berns agree that experience at the state tournament made this year much easier for them. Mendoza was returning for the fourth time, and Berns for the second time.

On a rainy day in late September, Manitou Springs High School had four boys compete in the 3A state golf tournament in Sterling, CO. The boys, Drew Mendoza (12), Ty Shaw (12), Adin Berns (11) and Lucas Culver (10) all qualified for state two weeks prior at the Tri-Peaks Regional golf tournament.

The boys packed there bags and prepared for the long trip out to Sterling Colorado. Time out of school.

The course this year offered many challenges for the boys especially since most the team had only played on the course one or two times in the past. Making it difficult to know what was coming their way.

Unfortunately the weather played a huge role in the boys’ performances. The first day was wet and cold, for the majority of the day there was a light rain. The rain made it very hard to grip the club and can cause for many problems that the boys had to adapt to.

One thing that the boys had to do in order to keep their shots consistent was carry an extra towel in there bags so that they could dry there club grips and not have the clubs slipping around in their hands.

It was especially difficult for Culver, the youngest golfer on the team.

“The weather made it more difficult than it already was,” Culver said.

Manitou still shot low.

Drew Mendoza played his heart out shooting 73 the first day and 79 the next. He finished ninth in the tournament.

Culver played extremely well for his first time at state shooting 80, 85 to place in the top twenties. Shaw shot 88, 88 surprising after only starting golf a couple years ago. Adin Berns shot 91, 91, unfortunately not beating his score from last year.

The boys played very well, but managed to take last as a team. They had fun, which was the main goal for the team.

Still, Mendoza says the experience, drive and all was worth it.

“I’m sad its all over, but it was fun while it lasted.” This was Mendoza’s last year to play high school golf.