By Megan Managan

Mercer Island Reporter

Luck plays a surprising role in sports. Sometimes, the stars align, things click and before you know it, goals are accomplished. That pretty much sums up most of the Islander boys golf season, except that they had more than luck on their side. The team, which took second at districts to end its regular fall season, also ended the season undefeated.

“It’s interesting because if you’d asked me if I thought we could do what we did, I would say yes, but at the same time, there are always so many variables that come into play, so it’s whether or not it happens,” said Tyson Peters, the head coach for the boys golf team. “We set goals at the beginning of the year and those goals are always meant to be what we hope to achieve, but maybe we don’t get there.” In hindsight, Peters had nothing to worry about, thanks in large part to how the team came together at the perfect time, just before the playoffs.

“The team really started playing really well together and came together as a team. It was really exciting because it wasn’t an individual thing, it was ‘we’re doing this together,’” he said. “Every single goal I set for them and that they set for themselves — which was winning KingCo, going undefeated, winning the medalist tournament, finishing well at districts and getting the team qualified for state — were all accomplished. The only real thing that I had on my goal sheet that didn’t get accomplished was taking four guys to state, rather than three, but that’s minor compared to all the others.”

Minor indeed, especially after last fall, when only one team member qualified for the spring state tournament. Peters said last season that the Islanders were admittedly young, but now the core group of players is older, more experienced and is obviously learning to play solid golf.

Charlie Kern, Kyle Code and Crawford Leeds will each represent MIHS at state, giving the Islanders a solid chance for a state placement. While it only takes two golfers to qualify a team for placement, Peters said that typically teams need three or four golfers in order to get past the first-round cut.

“The three guys who are going are all capable of making the cut if they play like they did at districts,” said Peters.

Peters said he never had much doubt of what the team was capable of doing; it was just a matter of getting everyone on the same page, at the same time.

“I knew that the guys were capable of it, but at the same time was kind of surprised they did all of those things. I think one of those things that I was particularly proud of was just the fact that they came together as a team so well because teams are always different every year, with different personalities, and these guys really gelled.”

Peters said the team started off in a variety of places at the beginning of the season, and that it wasn’t until the last two weeks of the season that the whole team found its rhythm.

“Until then it was kind of spotty, so I felt like all season long as a coach I was trying to get them all together at the same time and again that’s one of those things that we feel like we were very successful at this year, that it actually happened.”

Earlier in the season, Peters said the team was working on improving the mental side of its game, focusing on playing the entire golf course. By the end of the season, Peters said he felt like the team had definitely stepped up the mental side of the game.

“Last year, we had a really young team; a majority of them were sophomores. For those who weren’t [experienced], the mental side of golf was very new to them. It’s more than just hitting the golf ball — it’s thinking your way around the golf course and being able to deal with the pressure that goes with it. This year I felt like, finally, those guys had gotten a couple years of experience and a lot of the stuff that we had been teaching started to resonate,” said Peters. Because of that experience shift on the team, Peters said that next season he fully expects the team to be competitive across the boards.

But before Peters can even think about the fall 2010 season, the boys still need to finish this season. They just have a seven-month hiatus before the state tournament in the Tri-Cities.

“It’s very frustrating because basically you’re not allowed to have coaching time until the end of April, so of course we had an end-of-the-season meeting, and with those three kids we said, make sure you’re getting to the range and get in some tournaments, but it’s just a flaw in the system,” said Peters. Along with boys tennis, the golfers wait to finish their season at the same state tournament as the girls who play in the spring.

“On one hand, we get the better weather for the regular season than the people in the spring do, but obviously they have an advantage coming right out of the season. Luckily, the kids who are going, golf is their primary sport, so it will be less difficult for them to stay sharp. But it’s definitely a challenge to keep them sharp, there’s no question.”

Peters said that all three of the players who are going to state will play in various tournaments through the winter and early spring to keep up their games, but that doesn’t change the fact that seven months from competitive play can make a big difference in how they finish at state.

“The guys are the sharpest they’ve been all season, and we just sort of have to pause. The state tournament always feels a bit more like a crapshoot, sort of,” said Peters. “The guys go out and you cross your fingers, but you never really know.”

Overall, the coach said he was extremely proud of this fall’s team, more than any other.

“I’ve had teams in the past that have had maybe more ability, and this team has accomplished more than them, and maybe that’s why. This team has a lot of ability, but when they needed to, they kind of rallied and showed what they were capable of. My assistant and I just have a lot of pride in what the team accomplished because it could have turned out differently.”

Six members of the varsity team were also recently named to the All-KingCo League team. Kern was named to the first team, while Leeds, Grant Otter and George Jiranek were named to the second team. Kirby Ingram and Kyle Code were each given honorable mentions for their performances this season.