Since 2006, all but two of Westside’s sports have competed as a team in their respective state competitions.** This spring, the boys varsity golf team is looking to drop that number to one.

Alongside volleyball, which owns the longest streak of not competing as a team in the state tournament — 2002 was the last time it reached the state tournament — boys golf has struggled to end its run of not qualifying as a team. In the nine years since the team placed ninth at state, only two Westside golfers have made it to the state championship individually (once in 2007 and once in 2011).

For the team, those seven years of no Westside representation and nine years of no team representation serve as a driving force.

“The fact that no other Westside golf team in the last nine years has been able to rise up and go to state strongly motivates all of the guys on the golf team,” varsity golfer and senior Max Petersen said. “To be able to say we are the team that broke the streak would be an awesome thing.”

Head coach Brett Froendt thinks this could be the year as long as the team keeps its sights set on reaching the championship.

“It just all depends on the mentality and approach we take to practice, and building as the year goes along to get better,” Froendt said. “[The golfers can’t] just get excited for summer and for school to be out. [They have] to get excited to go to state at the end of the year.”

The Warriors open up tournament season over spring break. They will compete in the Titan Cup at Eagle Hills April 2 then the Grand Island Invitational April 3. Leading them into those tournaments will be Petersen as well as junior AJ Nolin, the team’s two most experienced returners who played in nine tournaments each last year. Until then, Froendt said the team will be focusing on improving the weakest parts of its game.

“It’s really up to the players in the offseason to make themselves a lot better, and some of the guys have worked hard to do that,” Froendt said. “Still, in practice, you need to make them do things that aren’t so popular to do, and they’re very receptive and have been working hard at it. It’s more just working on their weakness and try to make those just a little stronger, and that could make a difference for us.”

The team’s most important tournaments of the year will be the Metro Conference Tournament at Benson May 13 and the district tournament, where the team can qualify for state, either May 18 or 19. If the team can break the nine-year streak, it will play in the state tournament May 27.

**Track does not have a team qualification method. Wrestling added a team qualification component after 2012.

Updated at 11:15 a.m. Thursday, March 19.