For the last six years, the Lowry High School boys golf team has been one of the most dominant in the state, winning three state championships and placing second three other times.
However, the Buckaroos are rebuilding their squad with hopes to reach the state tournament once again. The 2015 campaign began at Dayton Valley Country Club in Dayton last Thursday, with Lowry finishing fifth with a score of 467.
The field was tightly bunched with Spring Creek winning with a 444.The Spartans had four golfers shoot in the 80s' on the Arnold Palmer designed layout.
Truckee was second at 448 and Elko (461) and Churchill County (467) were third and fourth, respectively.
"We were not too far out of that top three spot," said LHS coach Andrew Meyer. "It's going to be a competitive league this year and that is nice to see. Dayton is a tough course to open with and you can get in a lot of trouble there. That is going to be the hardest track we see until state. Honestly, I thought that was going to be our worse-case situation there."
Lowry's Andy Mendoza started his season on a high note, winning individual honors with a round of 2-over par 74.
"That was a solid round for that course," Meyer said. "His game is shaping up really good and he is going to be a hell of a player for us. He is going to good things."
Fellow senior Hunter Dimock carded a 90, while freshmen Zane Fifield and Dalton Irons shot rounds of 100.
"It's going to be hit and miss here and there, but if we can put it together, we will be OK and near that top three. I was happy with our freshmen and the way they played. The course can be intimidating for a young golfer."
Liam Sparks and Blake Duncan rounded out the scores for the Buckaroos at 103 and 109, respectively.
"The good thing is that the field is pretty close together," Meyer said. "There are shots out there that we can take off with some work. Our main goal is to get one of the three top spots. A beautiful goal would be to win the North. We have to realize what we have and go from there and focus on making the top three."
The Division I-A North doesn't have a regional championship and its three state qualifiers are based on the final regular season standings from the eight tournaments that are played.
The Buckaroos have two tournaments this week, starting Wednesday at Fallon and Thursday in Fernley.
"That will be a good test to see where we are at," Meyer said. "Those are easier courses and less forgiving on mistakes."
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