Scoring average drops helped Cheyenne East boys become state golf contender

Sep. 15—WyoSports

CHEYENNE — Prior to the season, Cheyenne East golf coach Todd Oswald said his boys team aspired to bring a trophy home from the Class 4A state tournament.

A state title wasn't out of the question if everything fell into place for the Thunderbirds, Oswald said. Those were lofty aspirations for a team that placed last out of nine scoring teams at last year's state tournament.

Oswald's team has done nothing but prove him right all fall.

East's boys have won three tournaments and placed second in the other two entering the state tournament, which starts Friday in Rock Springs.

"If we bring our best game, we're going to be in the mix for the top three, for sure," Oswald said Monday. "We're up there in the hunt. Kelly Walsh is going to be in the mix. We haven't seen (reigning state champion) Jackson all year, but they're definitely going to be in the mix.

"(Cheyenne) Central will be right up there, too. They've put up good numbers at different times throughout the year, so you can't count out Central."

A look at year-to-year scoring averages shows how East has gone from an also-ran in 2021 to a state championship contender this fall.

Sophomore Daniel Meyer dropped his scoring average 15.2 strokes per round from last year, going from 95.8 to 80.6. Junior Isaak Erickson dropped 14.4 strokes per 18 holes to 80.6. Sophomore Nash Coleman — who won the Class 4A East Conference title this past spring — has gone from needing 83.3 strokes per round to 75.9. Coleman has won or shared the title at two tournaments and finished second in two others. He tied for the lead at last week's Class 4A East qualifier, but Sheridan's Brock Owings walked away with the title after a playoff.

Juniors Kael Lissman and Tayten Zitek have had stroke average decreases of 5.2 and 4.3 strokes per round, respectively.

"I had really high expectations for us going into this season, and we've exceeded them," Lissman said. "We have a pretty young team, and I thought we had potential to be good for the next couple years. But a lot of us have really stepped up and put in a lot of time over the summer to get better.

"I think we have a chance to win the state tournament, but we have to stay disciplined and not get too far ahead of ourselves."

The T-Birds invested countless hours in the practice areas of their preferred courses individually. They also played a handful of junior tournaments apiece. East also made improvement a collective effort. Instead of merely playing a fun round together, the T-Birds tried to make them competitive by playing scrambles, best ball games and even putting small stakes on the line.

"We tried to make things interesting and create some pressure like you'd feel in a tournament," Lissman said.

Zitek lives and goes to school in Pine Bluffs, but was able to play a few rounds with his East teammates over the summer. His older brother, Tristen, was a member of T-Birds teams that finished second in 4A in 2017 and '18. The 2017 squad tied for the lead after two rounds, but dropped a playoff to Kelly Walsh. Zitek said he thinks this year's East team stacks up well against those squads.

"Last year, I wouldn't have thought we stood a chance against those guys," he said. "This year, though, I think we stand a chance. We have gotten so much better in the past year. (Coleman) has improved tremendously, (Lissman) could be shooting in the 70s every day. (Meyer) has improved by about 20 strokes and can shoot in the 70s. (Erickson) has improved a lot, too."

Oswald was an assistant for those East teams that finished as state runners-up. He also thinks this year's team compares favorably.

"Our ability — from our No. 1 guy to No. 5 — to shoot in the mid-70s is something we've never had before," the coach said. "This team has that ability, which is phenomenal."

Focusing on the mental aspect of golf has helped East give itself a realistic shot at its first state championship since 1986.

"We have talked a lot about forgetting about any bad shots you hit," Zitek said. "When you keep them in your head, it ruins your game. If we can keep doing that and not worry about anything or anyone else, we will give ourselves a shot."

On the course

The Cheyenne South and Pine Bluffs-Burns cross-country squads will run at the Rawlins Invitational today. Cheyenne Central will compete at the Arvada (Colorado) West Invite on Friday, while Cheyenne East will take on the Sweetheart Invitational on Friday in Loveland, Colorado.

On the court

Laramie County's prep volleyball teams step into conference play this week. East and South kicked off Class 4A East play Wednesday night. South hosts Central at 6 tonight, while East plays at reigning state champion Laramie.

Pine Bluffs plays at Mitchell, Nebraska, tonight and Burns on Saturday. Burns plays at Lusk on Friday night.

State tournament seeding is on the line when Cheyenne's prep tennis teams play at the South Regional starting Friday in Rock Springs.

In the pool

Central and East square off at East on Friday. South is in Newcastle on Friday and Saturday.

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.