Article By Greg Jaklewicz
The Wylie High golf teams have completed their seasons, each with its own brand of success.
For the boys, coach Mike Campbell has his program at such a competitive level that a trip to the Class 5A state tournament each year is the goal, not a long shot.
“I hope so,” he said. “We want it to be the norm for us. This was an awesome year.”
The Bulldogs this year won the District 4-5A championship for the third straight year and then finished second at the Region I tournament to Argyle for a second year to earn a state tournament berth.
Senior Reece Templeton was the second lowest individual (73-70-143, 1 under-par) at the regional tournament in Lubbock. Senior teammate Jack Cole had won the individual gold in district play, with sophomore Jack Steadman third.
The girls qualified first from District 4-5A, defending their 2025 championship, and were ninth at the regional tournament. Coach Justin Jarrett is building his program in a state tournament direction.
Regional Rowdy
The boys, anchored by four seniors, set the school record for 18 holes with a 288 at Pecan Valley Golf Course in Fort Worth during the fall season. The previous record was 290.
At state, they shot a 309-312-621 over a tough Legacy Hills course in Austin to finish eighth among 12 qualifying teams. Wylie also was eighth in 2024 when the tournament was cut to 18 holes due to second-day weather issues.
The Bulldogs had opened with a 317.
“I feel really good about it,” Campbell said of his team’s recent showing at state. “To be one of the last 12 teams playing I feel is quite an accomplishment. Our expectation was to go down there and compete as hard as we could and see how it worked out.
“We definitely did that.”
Wylie still has work to do to medal at state.
Prosper Walnut Grove totaled 575 to take first again but by only a shot over the Dallas Highland Park No. 1. Their No. 2 team was third. Their teams were third and fifth in 2024.
Austin Randall of Walnut Grove was medalist with a 137.
Abilene High’s individual entry, Grant Duwe, was 12 shots behind at 149. He won the regional tournament to become the first AHS golfer to compete at a state tournament.
(Jack Steadman)
Leading Wylie in Austin was Steadman with a 78-74-152. The only non-senior competing, he will be back next year with state tourney experience.
Campbell said Steadman progressed as the season did, coming back to golf from basketball.
“After basketball, it was just a gradual process of getting back into form,” Campbell said. ”By the time we got to district and the postseason, he was ready to roll.”
Cole was right behind at 74-70-153, with Templeton next at 79-76-156, Adrian Belli at 78-83-161 and Jack Currington at 84-83-167.
Campbell said his players were familiar with the course, having played there for the 2025 state tournament and at a preview tournament this spring. The course is challenging, forcing golfers to hit straight tee shots and work hard on the greens, which are bermuda grass. West Texas greens usually are bentgrass, which is faster.
“It is a difficult course,” Campbell said.
Can Wylie keep it going? Campbell said there are good players, though inexperienced, on his junior varsity.
“They got JV experience this year and I know they will work hard this summer. Those guys are ready to step up,” Campbell said. “And we have a good junior high program. When they get to our level, they are better prepared.
West Junior High golfer Landry Reed is expected to make an impact as a freshman. He will bring a wealth of major tournament experience.
“Our region is loaded, so year to year it will be difficult,” Campbell said of earning an Austin berth. “But I believe we have the players to be in contention from year to year.”
Program is Building
Wylie shot a 389-377-776 to finish ninth in Lubbock. Jarrett had hoped his team would edge up to fifth or sixth but their scores did not improve from district play, when WHS beat Abilene High by 17 shots for the top spot.
The Bulldogs’ best finish under Jarrett at the Region I tournament is sixth place.
“Our regional is pretty tough. The schools out of the Dallas area are mainly the toughest ones,,” Jarrett said.”But we didn’t play our best there. Even if we shot what we did in district, we would’ve finished ninth.”
Jarrett lost his top three golfers from last spring, so he was rebuilding his lineup this year around Landry Cheyne, a junior, and Kayla Lovegreen, one of three sophomores.
(Landry Cheyne)
“They were my 1 and 2 all year, so I had to find the puzzle pieces to fit,” the coach said.
Also competing for Wylie were sophomores Mackayla Holt and Abbi Bertrand, and freshman Taegen Jenkins.
Jarrett had no seniors.
“For most of the year, multiple girls played at the varsity level,” Jarrett said. But the end of the season, the players on the regional squad had worked their way into the lineup.
To get to the top of the heap will take work.
Grapevine led the way with a 306-307-313, only 36 shots over par for its four scoring players.
Second place went to Amarillo High (314-316-330).
The good news for Jarrett is that his key players will return, and he has mapped out a summer plan for improvement. There are plenty of tournaments to play if his players put in serious work to get better.
"That's what I try to push my girls to … you have to work outside of what we do or you’re not going to get any better,” Jarrett said. “There are plenty of opportunities out there for them to get better.”
That leaves the coach with a good lie for 2026-27.
“For me, having everybody who wants to come back, I can build around that core,” he said.
And I have some eighth-graders coming up that could push those other kids to play harder. I had a freshman who played pretty much all year on varsity, so I am open to anything.”
