After leading Mount Paran golf to a win in the Cobb County Tournament, a second place finish in the Area 3A Private championship and Class-A Private state championship, coach Scott Varner has been selected as the Cobb County Boys Golf Coach of the Year by the county coaches.
“Honestly, it’s one of my favorite groups I’ve ever had,” Varner said. “They’re great kids, and I say that not just from a golfing side of things. They’re an absolute blast to be around, to coach, to work with.”
After their strong season, this year’s team graduated no seniors, Varner said. They will bring back every player who was a part of the state runner-up team.
“We get to play a decent amount here and there, so just spending time with them is a joy,” said Varner. “I absolutely love them and it’s fun to know I don’t lose a single one of them because I have no seniors.”
With the return of every member of the state runner-up Eagles team, a new drive to come back and win the state title next season comes along with it.
For the team, their mission to come back and win it all began the second they sat down on the bus ride from the state championship appearance.
“The moment the kids got on the bus, the first thing they said was ‘coach, next year we’re taking it,’ and as a coach, you love that,” said Varner. “They’ve got a drive now, they’ve got a focus. For some of them, next year is their last year, and they’ve got one goal, so it’s going to be fun. It’ll be enjoyable to watch it unfold, but they know they’ve got their work cut out for them and they know what they’ve got to do.”
While the team had a strong finish to their successful season, Varner’s team became certain they had the talent to compete at the highest level when they finished second in the Area 3A Private championship.
“I think area helped us immensely. I mean, we lost area by two,” Varner said. “I think at that point in time, they knew right then and there they could compete. Brookstone and Darlington are two of the best teams in the state. So I think when they saw that, experienced that, they knew at that point in time they had the capability of competing against anybody.”
Mount Paran finished the Area 3A Private championship with a team score of 303. It’s second-place score was just two strokes behind Brookstone, which won with a team score of 301. Cobb County player of the year Jace Butcher finished with the best overall score in Area 3A Private with a 73.
“Coach, he’s a great guy and he’s definitely been a good mentor this season,” Butcher said. “He’s a good golfer himself and it’s fun for him to go out there and play with us and teach us everything he knows about golf and how to play it.”
As for the Class-A Private State championship at Dogwood, the team grossed 30-over par, finishing second behind Prince Avenue Christian. The Eagles finished seven strokes better than Brookstone, paying it back for the area tournament.
“They’ll grow from this experience more than anything else,” Varner said. “I was so proud of how they finished, finishing runner-up in state. It’s just a great accomplishment.”
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