SARATOGA SPRINGS — There wasn’t much of a doubt when the tournament began, with less of a doubt when it all concluded on Thursday.
For a fourth year in a row, Beaver proved the best golf program in the state out of the 2A ranks, and it wasn’t close.
A team score of just 596 strokes outdistanced second place Rowland Hall by 68 strokes and third place Altamont by 89.
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Leading the way for the Beavers was Braden Roberts, who carded a 66 during the first day of competition and a 70 the final day. He was followed up by teammates Klayson Matheson, who shot rounds of 72 and 74 for second place overall and third-place finisher Hoyt Blomquist, who shot rounds of 74 and 77.
“Braden Roberts is a stick. He’s played fantastic all year long,” said Beaver coach Jason Pollard. “It’s been tough for him, because due to a lack of competition, he can get a bit lackadaisical, but I sort of knew he’d be at his best for this state tournament, and he was. This was the best two rounds of the year for him.”
Indeed 2A competition can prove sparse for any sport, but perhaps particularly for golf — a sport that doesn’t receive a lot of general focus for many smaller programs.
But that certainly hasn’t been the case at Beaver, with a lot of the credit going to Pollard himself, and the Beaver community.
“We just have kids who love the game and a great nine-hole golf course where the junior golfers can get a great deal to golf year-round,” Pollard said. “So we’ve been able to build a lot of interest in the game from our junior ranks, and they just continue to develop and play like you saw today by the time they get to high school. We’ve been fortunate.”
Pollard is in his eighth year coaching at Beaver, and even though he inherited a fairly successful program, he’s been able to take it to new heights over the past four years.
As for the rest of his 2020 championship team, Pollard said, “Klayson Matheson was able to beat Braden in the regional competition, so I think that really lit a fire under Braden to do what he did today. But Klayson has been solid all year, along with all the rest of them.”
As for the future for Beaver golf, it looks bright.
“Last year, we had 46 golfers show up for our junior program, which is pretty amazing when you think of how small a town Beaver is,” Pollard said. “But there’s a lot of excitement to get involved here, which of course is a big blessing for me, as their coach. Hopefully we can keep this thing going.”