Good Hope, Welborn have sights set on 12th straight state tourney

By Justin Graves

Caleb Neighbors wasn’t in a laughing mood.

The Good Hope High golfer was angry, frustrated and upset — not to mention embarrassed.

Neighbors has been upset since last week. That’s when rival Holly Pond recorded its first tournament win over Good Hope in years.

Holly Pond fired a 314 to claim the Class 3A, Section 3 tournament title last Wednesday. Good Hope shot a disappointing 322 to finish third behind Lauderdale County.

Luckily for Good Hope, third place was good enough to advance. That gives the Raiders a chance to redeem themselves at the North 2 sub-state tournament today at the Robert Trent Jones golf course in Glencoe.

“We’re not happy about the way we played at sectionals,” said Neighbors, the lone senior on Good Hope’s golf team. “I was embarrassed …we were all embarrassed.

“After playing horrible in sectionals, we had a meeting … talked about what went wrong and how we’re going to fix it. Trust me on this, it won’t happen again.”

The North 2 sub-state tournament will begin today at 8 a.m. in Glencoe. Of the eight teams competing, only three will qualify for next week’s Class 3A state tournament in Prattville.

Holly Pond has the top seed in the North 2 tournament, while Good Hope — which has made 11-straight state tournament appearances — is seeded as the third-best team.

Reaching the state tournament is the ultimate goal for both teams. But for Good Hope, anything less than a trip to Prattville would be considered a disappointment.

“Keeping our state tournament streak alive is very important to us,” Neighbors said. “Getting to state is not only good for us, but it’s also good for our school and our program.

“We don’t want to be the group that didn’t make it … the ones who ended the streak.”

Since securing a spot in sub-state, Good Hope’s golf team has made the trek to Glencoe for a practice round more than once. And according to Welborn, the extra work has paid off.

“The players seem to like the course,” the longtime Raiders coach said. “We were able to get a little work in over the weekend when it wasn’t raining, and the guys appear to be ready.

“I think what happened in the sectional really caught their attention. It helped them regain their focus.”

Neighbors agreed.

“I think we’ll be a completely different team this time out,” the Raiders senior said. “Playing bad in the sectional tournament may have been the best thing that could’ve happened to us. That was the wake-up call we needed … it really caught our attention.

“This means a lot to us. It’s something we’ve been looking forward to all year. And if we go out and play the way we’re capable of, I think we’ll be fine.”

Justin Graves can be reached by phone at 734-2131, ext. 257 or by e-mail at jgraves@cullmantimes.com.