The Midland Christian boys golf team went into the TAPPS 5A State Tournament as an underdog and the Mustangs came away as state champions.
Midland Christian captured its first state title in boys golf since 2017 with a 10-stroke victory at Squaw Valley Golf Course in Glen Rose on Tuesday afternoon.
The Mustangs finished with a 287-287—574 total to finish ahead of Fort Worth All Saints (298-286—584). Monsignor Kelly (298-290–588) finished third.
MCS was led by junior Bridger Wilson, who won the medalist title with a 68-68—136 total. Senior and Midland College signee Mason Leary (73-71—144) tied for ninth to earn all-state honors.
“It’s been pretty cool this year,” Wilson said. “We got two new guys this year and they really made a difference. We were kind of like the underdog going in, we were not predicted to win. But we made it happen, which is awesome, incredible.”
Also, for the Mustangs, Brody McHugh shot 73-73—146; Jackson Griffin shot 73-75—148; and Ethan Newsom fired an 81-76—157 total.
MCS coach Chris Jauz said this title means a lot because he believes that Class 5A is the toughest classification in TAPPS.
“You had to beat a lot of good golfers here to win the state tournament,” Jauz said. “The biggest thing is we beat All Saints. All Saints had beaten us at district and regionals, and that was the kind of a goal of (the Mustangs) this year, to beat All Saints. They set a lot goals this year and they accomplished a lot of things. I’m really proud of them.”
The Mustangs went into the final round with a six-stroke lead and Jauz said his team got off to a shaky start on Tuesday.
Jauz said Wilson helped to set the tone with his strong play.
“He shot 4-under on the front and the other guys responded to it early on and turned it around after five or six holes,” Jauz said. “They started to play the way they could play.”
Added Wilson, “We talked about it as a team and we’re just going to attack, we weren’t just going to play defense. We just went into today and tried and shoot as low as we possibly could and try to get a bigger lead instead of trying to preserve the lead. We tried to do what what we could and whatever happens, happens.”
Jauz said Wilson was exceptional at the tournament.
“To shoot 4-under both days, that’s a testament to how much work he’s put in,” he said. “His putting was phenomenal. He made clutch putt after clutch putt and when he did have something negative, he always responded in a positive way. He’s done a ton as a golfer and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Added Wilson about his play, “My putter was hot. I practiced putting a lot just a day before we left and I was trying to focus on drives and keeping it in play, and that really helped a lot.”
On the girls’ side, MCS sophomore Addi Wright finished in 10th place with an 83-77—160 total to earn all-state honors for a second straight year.