The Falcon golf season began in mid-March with a match against the team from Wickenburg hosted out of the local Eagle Mountain Golf Club.

The local team took part in a total of 12 matches throughout the regular season, usually competing against multiple opponents and frequently finishing in the number one spot.

The local squad managed to qualify once again for state this season, sending five representatives to the season-ending two-day Division III tournament hosted out of Antelope Hills in Prescott.

Griffin Peters, Lucas Johnson, Reece Bailey, Marjorie Glenn and Hank Allsop finished strong for the local squad, taking eighth place overall at state.

All told, head coach Jim Fairfield said the team finished at 28-8 on the season on a team-by- team basis.

“The teams we lost to were pretty much the same teams, including Valley Christian, Phoenix Country Day and Estrella Foothills,” Fairfield said.

“Those were the top teams in the state, and we saw them a couple of times each this season.”

Looking back at 2014, Fairfield said that the Falcons had several athletes shooting especially low scores, but that the best round of the season, on an individual basis, was shot by Reece Baily at the state tournament.

“He shot 14 strokes under his score from last year, so that’s a huge improvement,” Fairfield said.

Fairfield said that his first year at the helm of the golf team went well, though it certainly differs from what he’s used to on the football field.

“The biggest difference is that it’s more methodical,” Fairfield said.

“How you conduct yourself on the course, as far as where you’re putting the ball, means there’s a lot more strategy on every single hole.”

Fairfield said it’s also interesting that he’s not able to work with his players during a competition. While he’s involved in every single play during a football game, his job in golf is to prepare the team before a match and hope that his athletes bring their A game.

“Coaches actually aren’t allowed to coach during the matches,” he said.

“On the tee boxes, the greens or the sand, we can’t give our players advice. We get them ready and then turn them loose and let them go.

“That’s actually pretty similar to football. You coach them up all week to prepare them and then play the game. They’re not going to learn anything new during the game; they’re supposed to be applying what they learned beforehand.”

Fairfield said he knew all of his golf athletes before hitting the links this season, which made the transition a smooth experience.

“They all got along really well, they gelled well, and they were a fun group to be around,” Fairfield said.

“Griffin was a good leader, as our number one guy. Then Reece Bailey, our senior, was a quiet guy who led by example. Those guys really took charge and helped out a lot.”

With only Bailey graduating, Fairfield said he’s looking forward to another solid year in 2015.

“Reece is a great young man and was a pleasure to have on the team. We’ll miss him,” he continued.

“We’ll have a lot more competition next year. We had a lot of freshmen this year who are only going to get better, plus whoever we have coming up. Our fours and fives are going to have to tighten up their game a bit more and fight to keep their spots.

“We’re looking at a very strong season next year.”