NHS Boys Golf Team Finishes Strong At State

Writer / Matt Keating
Photographer / Brian Brosmer

The Noblesville High School Boys Golf Team recently finished fourth place in the state tournament, and Coach Gary Deakyne couldn’t be prouder.

“I’m really excited about everything the team accomplished this season,” Deakyne says. “The kids played particularly well during the state tournament. They made a good run for second and third place, and really gave it their best effort. I enjoyed seeing them do so well.”

The state tournament was held at Prairie View Golf Course in Carmel on June 14.

“We set our sights on the state tournament at the beginning of the season,” Deakyne says. “They played a lot of tough golf courses and played against some excellent golfers on other teams. One thing that helped leading up to the state tournament is that our kids knew how good the other teams were. It wasn’t a shock to their systems when they had to play against them again in the sectional and regional tournaments.”

Deakyne is looking at two outstanding sophomore players to help guide the team toward more victories in future seasons.

Sophomore Clay Merchant was 12th place in the tournament, and Sophomore Jacob Deaknye (Gary’s youngest son) tied for 13th place.

“There are some big shoes to fill for next season, but we have good players who are definitely up for the task of filling them,” Deakyne says. “There is a lot of very strong potential for next year. The kids are used to a lot of the golf courses and have gotten used to what the other teams are like. They also know what their strengths are and where they need to improve. The whole team worked well together, and I enjoyed watching them continue to improve as the season went along. We played on a lot of tough golf courses, and they just kept getting better.”

Two valuable members of the golf team graduated from Noblesville High School this year. Deakyne’s oldest son, Parker, a graduating senior, has a golf scholarship to Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne (IPFW). His teammate, Mitchell Compton, is joining the U.S. Army.

“I’m very happy with the way things turned out this year,” Deakyne says. “The kids gelled as a team and it showed at the state tournament. We worked hard, played well and had a lot of fun.”